Maruti Suzuki Ranks Highest in Automotive Customer Satisfaction in India for 8th Consecutive Year

J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports: Customers Particularly Delighted by Doorstep Vehicle Pickup and Delivery

SINGAPORE: 14 November 2007 — For an eighth consecutive year, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in customer satisfaction with authorized dealership service, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released today.

The study, now in its 11th year, measures the overall satisfaction of vehicle owners who visited their authorized dealer/service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 18 months of ownership. Overall satisfaction is determined by utilizing seven measures. They are (in order of importance): problems experienced; service quality; user-friendly service; service advisor; service initiation; service delivery; and in-service experience.

Recording only a single-point increase since 2006, overall satisfaction in the industry remains stable. Maruti Suzuki leads the industry in customer satisfaction with a CSI score of 838 points on a 1,000-point scale and continues to set the industry benchmark in all measures of the CSI. While ranking below the industry average, the remaining eight nameplates included in the study have improved since 2006. Honda, Skoda and Hyundai, respectively, demonstrate the greatest improvement.

“The steady improvement in industry-wide CSI performance during the previous three years reflects the success that many manufacturers have had in enhancing the customer experience at their dealerships”, said Mohit Arora, senior director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “The improvement in performance is especially encouraging, given the sharp increase in the service volumes for most dealer networks.”

The study finds that vehicle pickup and delivery before and after service has a strong impact on customer satisfaction. In particular, customers who say that their vehicle was picked up from their doorstep before service and delivered to the same point after service are notably more delighted with their after-sales service experience, compared with customers who do not receive this service. Although this value-added service is utilized more frequently over the past two years, fewer than one of 10 customers report receiving it.

“Picking up and delivering vehicles provides greater convenience to customers, who travel an average of nine kilometers each way to reach their authorized service center,” said Arora. “With increasing traffic congestion in cities and consumer preference of delivering their vehicle for service during peak morning hours, it is not unexpected that customers are delighted with this gesture from their dealerships.”

The study also finds that customers who service their vehicles only at authorized service centers report higher overall service satisfaction, compared with those who have also used non-authorized service centers in the past. In 2007, just 13 percent of customers report visiting a non-authorized service center, a figure that has steadily declined in the past two years.

“Most customers who use a non-authorized service center do so for routine maintenance or repairs—both of which are revenue-generating opportunities for dealerships,” said Arora. “Customers use the services of a non-authorized service facility mostly due to its convenient location or speedy service. Automakers can benefit by optimizing their network reach and providing quicker service to maximize revenues for their after-sales network.”

The study also examines the cost of operating new vehicles, both in terms of actual costs and owner satisfaction with those costs. The overall cost of operation is an aggregation of three components: fuel; repair and maintenance; and tire expenses. With lower fuel prices in 2007, the cost of new-vehicle operation has decreased since the 2006 study—down 7 percent for petrol vehicles and 2 percent for diesel vehicles. This year, diesel models such as the Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Indica and Tata Indigo/Marina post strong performances in the diesel segment in terms of cost of operation. Maruti models continue to lead the petrol segment, both in terms of actual costs and overall satisfaction with the cost of operation.

The 2007 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) study is based on responses from more than 5,300 owners of nearly 40 different vehicle models. The study was fielded from May to August 2007 and includes customers who serviced their vehicles at authorized service facilities between November 2006 to August 2007.

About J.D. Power Asia Pacific
J.D. Power Asia Pacific, established in 1990, conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internet at http://www.jdpower.co.jp/.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies. For more reviews on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit http://www.JDPower.com/. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

Source: J.D. Power and Associates

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