Toyota has edged out its own luxury division when it comes to retaining customers. Almost 64% of Toyota buyers replaced their cars with another from the same brand, compared with 63% for Lexus. The study, carried out by J.D. Power and Associates, found that average retention rates had dropped in the last year from 47.9% to 49.6%, indicating increased competition in the car market.

Honda and BMW followed in third and fourth place, while Suzuki had the biggest gain at close to 15%. The biggest improvements to customer retention seem to come from better build quality and improved customer service, something that really shouldn’t be all that difficult to grasp. Though Nissan didn’t gain as much as Suzuki, it has steadily improved its ratings and gained 8.2% from its score in 2003.

The companies/brands that need to do more work include VW, Audi, Infiniti, and Mazda, all of which are surprisingly low. Mazda has the lowest retention rating bar Isuzu. Out of the American brands, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Ford were all well above the industry average, which is a good sign.

Click ahead for the full graph.

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