Customers have little interest in the dealer group they buy their car from , but are more aware of the status a particular brand may bring them, according to a new research.

Research by the Ion Group, the administrative support company, says: “The public is much more interested in engaging with the car marque itself than the dealership.”

Ion says this is purely because cars are ' status-giving ' , often aspirational purchases that can help the owner ' project their desired image '.

Car dealerships lagged well behind manufacturers when customers were asked how much they wanted to develop a relationship with a business.

The report says that dealerships should exploit their sales by creating a trading bond with the customer at the point of sale to drive up sales in the aftermarket sector.

The Ion Group also suggests that there are similarities with a customers’ decision between clothes and cars. In both cases, purchase decisions are often emotionally driven.