India's top auto brands in sales satisfaction

Text: ECONOMICTIMES.COM Overall customer satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales experience has increased considerably in 2009, with eight of 11 ranked brands demonstrating notable year-over-year improvements, according to the JD Power Asia Pacific 2009 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) study released recently. Now in its 10th year, the study examines seven factors that contribute to overall satisfaction with the new-vehicle buyer sales experience: delivery process; delivery timing; salesperson; sales initiation; dealer facility; paperwork; and deal. Overall sales satisfaction has increased by 26 points from 2008 to an average of 793 on a 1,000-point scale in 2009.  As per the study, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in overall new-vehicle sales satisfaction in India with a score of 800. Following Maruti Suzuki closely in the rankings are Honda and Toyota, in a tie, with scores of 799 each. Hyundai posts the greatest improvement among brands examined in the study. The study finds that, among customers who say they are highly satisfied with the sales experience at the dealership (with satisfaction scores averaging above 859), 81 per cent state that they “definitely will” return to the same dealership to purchase another vehicle. In contrast, only 37 per cent of very dissatisfied customers (with satisfaction scores averaging below 740) say the same. The study, based on responses from 5,422 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between September 2008 and April 2009, also finds that the proportion of new-vehicle owners who pay cash for their vehicle has more than doubled during the past five years—from 12 per cent in 2004 to 27 per cent in 2009. In addition, the proportion of first-time new-vehicle buyers has increased from 27 per cent in 2004 to 40 per cent in 2009. Here we take a look at India's top auto brands in sales satisfaction: Rank: 1 Score: 800 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 2 Score: 799 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale)  Rank: 2 Score: 799 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 3 Score: 796 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 4 Score: 794 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 4 Score: 794 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 5 Score: 790 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 6 Score: 789 Industry Average: 793 (Sales Satisfaction Index Ranking, based on a 1000-point scale) Rank: 7 Score: 786 Industry Average: 793 Rank: 8 Score: 772 Industry Average: 793 Rank: 9 Score: 766 Industry Average: