The Hindu Business Line : Maruti tops JD Power survey for fifth year

"Maruti Udyog continues to lead the industry on all factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction," J.D. Power Asia-Pacific Country Manager Mr Mohit Arora said in a statement.

J.D. Power, a market research firm, conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries.

Maruti, India's biggest carmaker, has scored 813 points on an industry average of 758 points.

C.K. Birla group company, Hindustan Motors, has been ranked second followed by the `Opel' brand of General Motors India, Hyundai Motor India, Ford Motor and Toyota Kirloskar.

"Additionally, with a significant lead in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) performance, Maruti is the only brand to rank above the industry average," Mr Arora said.

The study finds that due to the recent sharp increase in fuel prices, the average cost of operation per km for both diesel and petrol models has gone up by nearly 25 per cent over the last year.

Fuel cost accounts for over 85 per cent of the average cost of vehicle operation, which includes the usage-dependent components of fuel, repair, maintenance and tyres.

The study, now in its eighth year, measures the satisfaction of 3,550 new vehicle buyers with the dealership service experience at 12-18 months of ownership.

Owners representing 11 makes and 27 models were covered in the study that was fielded from June-August 2004.

Overall, diesel models registered lower operating costs per km than petrol models.

Diesel models performing particularly well in operating costs included Tata Motors' compact car Indica and Indigo sedan while Maruti's entry-level car M800 and premium small car Alto "performed very well" among petrol vehicles, Mr Arora said.

More Stories on : Customer Relationship Management | Marketing Research | Cars

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