Car customers most satisfied with old models
Our Bureau NEW DELHI
OLDER models dominated the latest TNS Customer Satisfaction survey in most car segments, including entry, premium compact and mid-size. Models like the Ford Fiesta, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Innova or Honda Civic were among the newer launches that emerged on top of the heap. Maruti and Honda came up as chart toppers in the survey as Maruti scored with older models like the Zen, M800 and Esteem. India’s old favourite M800 in fact scored slightly higher on the satisfaction scale, followed closely by the Alto, even though in sales volume terms, the latter now outscores the former. The premium compact segment was led by the Maruti Wagon-R, followed by Korean major Hyundai’s Santro. The upper middle segment was dominated by the Suzuki Swift. The Tata Indica continued its top-gear run in the small car diesel segment. In the mid-size car segment, another tried-and-tested model scored over its newer competitors. The Maruti Esteem topped this segment with the Honda City leading the mid-size segment. The Skoda Octavia and the Honda Civic led the premium mid-size car segment. The midsize diesel segment customers gave the highest score to Ford Fiesta diesel, followed by Hyundai Accent’s diesel variant. The Honda Accord outdid others in the satisfaction index in the entry luxury segment, while stablemate CRV was considered most satisfactory in the premium SUV segment. The Toyota Innova emerged number one in the SUVs and MPVs segment. Market information provider TNS Automotive quizzed a sample size of over 7,000 new car buyers for the study, which covered over 50 models with customer evaluations taken with respect to various factors like sales satisfaction, product quality, vehicle performance and design, after-sales service, brand image and the cost of ownership.

source: Economic Times (3 nov. 2006)