Reference Mark

There’s satisfaction. Then there’s trust.

- Mark Rechtin

“Trust me.”

There might be no two words in the English language more emotionally freighted. Reciprocating this vow entails an intimate contract of honesty, liability, and concession. When given, received, and honored, trust leads to unbounded loyalty. When the bond is broken, it often leads to the incineration of the relationship.

But what does it mean to trust those with whom you do business?

Buying and owning a car is often seen as a straightforward transaction. You give money, you get sheet metal, and you hope it doesn’t break down. You trust that the automaker’s factory had a good day and that your car will provide you years of trouble-free reliability.

Trust goes much deeper than that. Buying a car is an extremely emotional event—often the second most expensive purchase in our lifetimes, after a house.

A recent survey of car owners by marketing firms AMCI and C Space not only measured how much consumers trust automakers but also how much consumers feel trusted in turn by automakers.