Company Press Release

DealerRater Announces the Winners of the 2013 Dealer of the Year Awards

DealerRater Honors Top U.S and Canadian Car Dealers for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction Based on Customers’ Online Reviews Posted on DealerRater’s Web Site.

Waltham, Mass. – February 11, 2013 – DealerRater, the world’s premier car dealer review web site, today announced the winners of the 2013 Dealer of the Year Award Program.   The awards are given for distinction in outstanding customer service based upon customers’ reviews of their dealership experiences shared on DealerRater’s web site. 

The highest honor is presented to Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Walled Lake, Michigan, as overall 2013 Dealer of the Year.  A family-owned and operated dealership since 1955, this exceptional dealer received 675 reviews and earned a twelve-month average PowerScore™ of 4.89 out of 5.0 in 2012.

In addition, Georgian Chevrolet Buick GMC of Barrie, Ontario, is awarded as the top 2013 Canadian Dealer of the Year.  With an impressive 280 reviews in 2012, the dealership produced a twelve-month average PowerScore of 4.72, the highest score of all Canadian dealers.

The additional 2013 Dealer of the Year Award winners within their respective brand categories (U.S. and Canada national levels) include:

United States

Acura:  Curry Acura – Scarsdale, NY

Aston Martin:  Sill-Terhar Motors – Broomfield, CO

Audi:  Boardwalk Audi – Plano, TX

Bentley:  Twin Cities Luxury Auto – Hopkins, MN

BMW:  Park Ave BMW – Rochelle Park, NJ

Buick:  Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick – Georgetown, TX

Cadillac:  Coulter Cadillac Buick GMC – Phoenix, AZ

Chevrolet:  Pine Belt Chevrolet – Lakewood Township, NJ

Chrysler:  Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram – Walled Lake, MI  

Dodge:  Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram – Walled Lake, MI

Ferrari:  Boardwalk Ferrari – Plano, TX

FIAT:  Rick Case FIAT – Davie, FL

Ford:  Bozard Ford Lincoln – St. Augustine, FL

GMC:  Flemington Chevrolet Buick GMC – Flemington, NJ

Honda:  Bommarito Honda – Hazelwood, MO

Hyundai:  Lester Glenn Hyundai – Toms River, NJ

Infiniti:  Infiniti of Naperville-Lisle – Lisle, IL

Jaguar:  Checkered Flag Audi Porsche Jaguar – Virginia Beach, VA

Jeep:  Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram – Walled Lake, MI

Kia:  Carriage Kia – Gainsville, GA

Lamborghini:  Lamborghini Dallas – Dallas, TX

Land Rover:  Princeton Land Rover – Princeton, NJ

Lexus:  Lexus of Cerritos – Cerritos, CA

Lincoln:  Bozard Ford Lincoln – St. Augustine, FL

Maserati:  Boardwalk Maserati – Plano, TX

Mazda:  Cardinale Way Mazda – Mesa, AZ

Mercedes-Benz:  Mercedes-Benz of Hagerstown – Hagerstown, MD

MINI:  Moritz BMW MINI – Arlington, TX

Mitsubishi:  RC Hill Mitsubishi – DeLand, FL

Nissan:  Sonora Nissan – Yuma, AZ

Porsche:  Boardwalk Porsche – Plano, TX

Ram:  Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram – Walled Lake, MI

Scion:  Tufankjian Toyota Scion of Braintree – Braintree, MA

Smart:  Tysinger Motor Co., Inc. – Hampton, VA

Subaru:  Steve Lewis Subaru – Hadley, MA

Suzuki:  Advantage Suzuki – Albany, NY

Toyota:  Tufankjian Toyota Scion of Braintree – Braintree, MA

Volkswagen:  AutoNation Volkswagen Richardson – Richardson, TX

Volvo:  Smythe Volvo – Summit, NJ

Recreational Vehicles:  Holman Motors, Inc. – Batavia, OH

Used Car Dealers:  Certified Benz & Beemer – Scottsdale, AZ

CANADA

BMW:  Town + Country BMW – Markhan, ON

Buick:  Georgian Chevrolet Buick GMC – Barrie, ON   

Cadillac:  Ontario Motor Sales – Oshawa, ON

Chevrolet:  Georgian Chevrolet Buick GMC – Barrie, ON

Chrysler:  Wendell Motor Sales – Kitchener, ON

Dodge:  Wendell Motor Sales – Kitchener, ON

FIAT:  Wellington Motors Limited – Guelph, ON

Ford:  Capital Ford Lincoln, Inc. – Regina, SK

GMC:  Georgian Chevrolet Buick GMC – Barrie, ON

Honda:  Winnipeg Honda – Winnipeg, MB

Hyundai:  West Edmonton Hyundai – Edmonton, AB

Jeep:  Wendell Motor Sales – Kitchener, ON

Kia:  Harris Kia – Nanaimo, BC

Lincoln:  Capital Ford Lincoln, Inc. – Regina, SK

MINI:  Town + Country BMW – Markhan, ON

Nissan:  Crown Nissan – Winnipeg, MB

Ram:  Wendell Motor Sales – Kitchener, ON

Subaru:  Richmond Hill Subaru – Richmond Hill, ON

Toyota:  Sunshine Toyota – Winnipeg, MB

Volkswagen:  Crosby Volkswagen – Kitchener, ON

The 2013 award winners demonstrated consistently high PowerScore ratings for customer satisfaction, placing them in the top of their class.  The PowerScore is determined using a Bayesian algorithm that factors the dealership’s average DealerRater consumer rating and the total number of reviews written about the dealership during the 2012 calendar year.  The dealership must also have at least twenty-five (25) new reviews written on DealerRater’s web site during the previous calendar year and an average rating greater than 4.0, with 5.0 as the highest possible score.

“We congratulate the Dealer of the Year Award winners across the United States and Canada for their success in customer satisfaction as demonstrated by their PowerScore results,” said Chip Grueter, president of DealerRater.  “According to recent studies, 89% of car buyers go online to read reviews before purchasing a vehicle and four out of five consumers have changed their minds about a recommended purchase based solely on negative information they found online.  With the growth of Internet use in the car shopping process over the past decade, reputation management has become a vital part of any dealership’s marketing process. Our award winners understand the importance of reputation management and are doing an outstanding job.”

Recent data research by Open Access Marketing  found that DealerRater has triple the overall dealership review count of Google and 43% more dealership reviews than Google, Yelp, Yahoo!, Cars.com and Edmunds combined. Research also found that DealerRater star ratings appear on the first page of Google search engine results for 87% of franchised dealership names.

The DealerRater site receives a new review submitted every 55 seconds during daylight hours.  With its unparalleled volume of dealer reviews now approaching 950,000, 26% of all franchised dealers in the U.S. have embraced DealerRater and its award-winning Certified Dealer Program as a critical component of their online reputation management efforts. 

Tags: dealer of the year, certified dealer