A new survey quoted by Automotive News shows that BMW AG is the automaker that suppliers in Europe most want to do business with.
Compared to 2009, BMW rose to No. 1 from fifth in attractiveness as a partner for parts makers in the sixth annual Automotive News Europe/SupplierBusiness OEM-Supplier Relations Study. BMW’s old and new rivals, Mercedes and Audi followed.
The VW brand came fourth, maintaing the same rank as in 2009. VW was singled out by suppliers as the customer that applies the most pressure to reduce prices. Porsche put the least pressure on suppliers to reduce prices, followed by Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo.
Toyota Motor Corp was last years top seed, but fell to fifth in 2010 due to the recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles to address safety issues such as unintended acceleration.
Ford Motor Co.’s North American division also made an impressive improvement in attractiveness, rising to No. 7 from No. 13 last year, while Ford of Europe slipped to No. 12 from No. 9.
Chrysler Group finished last in the category.
Which carmaker makes the highest demands to achieve high quality? Audi rose to No.1 after ranking fourth last year.
In the survey, conducted in May and June, executives at 192 automotive suppliers rated 21 automakers on factors such as pressure to reduce price, chance to make a strong return on investment, quality demands and trust. The European and North American arms of General Motors Co. and Ford were rated separately, as were VW Group’s VW, Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat brands.
[Source: Automotive News - subscription required ]
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/06/29/bmw-a ... ness-with/