The analysis shows that customer satisfaction can be considered the central determinant in all phases of the contact chain. Multi-dimensional recording of customer loyalty revels clear differences in the interactions, first, with brand loyalty and, second, with dealer loyalty. In contrast to the opinion widely held in practice, customers in the automotive sector definitley do not percieve the brand and the dealer as one unit. Since similar studies in different countries come to almost the same conclusions, it can be argued that the results are valid in several cultural settings. The results obtained are so fundamental that they can be translated into implications even by internationally operating companies.