Even with Maruti controlling over 50 per cent of the market share, other car models from Hyundai, General Motors are either closely in tie with Suzuki brands or in certain cases also overtaking in terms of customer satisfaction.

According to a survey by global consultancy and marketing research firm TNS on various parameters of customer satisfaction including sales and after sales service, cost of ownership and brand image, Hyundai i10 has been ranked almost at par with Maruti Wagon R.

In the case of premium compact car, Hyundai’s Getz Petrol model scores a point higher than Maruti Swift petrol variant at 91.

Maruti’s customer satisfaction dip-stick turned out to be even lower in the case of the mid-sized sedan segment where Honda and Chevrolet Optra scored higher than SX4 and Swift Dzire sedan, respectively. The survey was conducted based on responses of over 7,900 new car buyers across 28 cities and for 45 models.

“In the compact car segment, Maruti and Hyundai are almost able to deliver a similar level of customer satisfaction. In the case of big cars, Honda and Toyota have performed almost at par. This reflects how manufacturers are able to manage their brands using a holistic approach,” said Mr Pradeep Saxena, Senior Vice-President, TNS.

The survey also looked at the increasing satisfaction level of customers for diesel cars such as Hyundai Verna, Mahindra- Renault Logan, Skoda Octavia whose rankings improved by 5-6 points, taking the model-wise score from 90 to as high as 99.

( Business Line (Online Edition) - 1/2/2009)