Maruti most popular among customers

Maruti Udyog [ Get Quote ] has topped the list of J D Power ranking for the fifth year in a row in terms of customer satisfaction.

"Maruti Udyog continues to lead the industry on all factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction," J D Power, Asia-Pacific country manager Mohit Arora said.

The Maruti Saga: Complete Coverage

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 [ Images ] biggest carmaker, has scored 813 points on an industry average of 758 points.

C K Birla group company Hindustan Motors [ Get Quote ] has been ranked second followed by Opel [ Images ] of General Motors [ Images ] India, Hyundai [ Images ] Motor India, Ford [ Images ] Motor and Toyota Kirloskar [ Images ]. "Additionally, with a significant lead in Customer Satisfaction Index performance, Maruti is the only brand to rank above the industry average," he said.

The study finds that due to the recent sharp increase in fuel prices, the average cost of operation per kilometre 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.