J.D. Power Asia Pacific held the annual awards, felicitating the automotive companies who provided outstanding performance in meeting customer expectations. The awards were given to manufacturers in the industry under different categories for the year 2013. Maruti Suzuki and Honda were recipients of the maximum number of awards on the list, while BMW bagged all the top honours in the luxury car segment.
The jury gave three special recognition awards to manufacturers, who have been ranked the highest in the J.D. Power studies at least ten times. Maruti Suzuki received a special recognition award for Continued Outstanding Performance in Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service. The company has ranked the highest in the India Customer Service Index (CSI) since the year 2000 and has won for 14 consecutive years.
The Honda City received a special recognition award for Continued Outstanding Performance in Initial Quality. The car has won the Initial Quality Study in its segment since 2003 for 11 consecutive years. Tyre maker MRF also received a special recognition award for Continued Outstanding Performance in Original Equipment Tyre Satisfaction. The company has been ranked the highest ten times in the category study since 2001.
J.D. Power also recognised the highest performing auto manufacturers for the year 2013 and the results were based solely on the evaluations provided by verified vehicle owners in India. Following is the list of the 2013 Syndicated Study Awards –
2013 India Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Index (TCSI) Study
• Highest Customer Satisfaction with Original Tires – MRF (four consecutive years)
2013 India Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)
• Most Dependable Compact Car — Maruti Suzuki A-Star
• Most Dependable Premium Compact Car — Ford Figo
• Most Dependable Entry Midsize Car — Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (three consecutive years)
• Most Dependable Midsize Car — Honda City
• Most Dependable Premium Midsize Car — Chevrolet Cruze
• Most Dependable MUV/ MPV — Toyota Innova (six consecutive years)
• Most Dependable SUV — Toyota Fortuner
2013 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study
• Highest in Sales Satisfaction among Mass Market Brands — Maruti Suzuki and Honda (in a tie)
• Highest in Sales Satisfaction among Luxury Brands — BMW
2013 India Customer Service Index (CSI)
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction with After-Sales Service among Mass Market Brands — Maruti Suzuki (14 consecutive years)
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction with After-Sales Service among Luxury Brands – BMW
2013 India Initial Quality Study (IQS)
• Best Entry Compact Car in Initial Quality — Maruti Suzuki Alto 800
• Best Compact Car in Initial Quality — Hyundai Santro (two consecutive years)
• Best Upper Compact Car in Initial Quality — Honda Brio (two consecutive years)
• Best Premium Compact Car in Initial Quality — Maruti Suzuki Swift
• Best Entry Midsize Car in Initial Quality — Honda Amaze
• Best Midsize Car in Initial Quality — Honda City (11 consecutive years)
• Best Premium Midsize Car in Initial Quality — Toyota Corolla Altis
• Best MUV/ MPV in Initial Quality — Toyota Innova (seven consecutive years)
• Best SUV in Initial Quality — Toyota Fortuner (two consecutive years)
2013 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study
• Most Appealing Entry Compact Car — Maruti Suzuki Alto 800
• Most Appealing Compact Car — Maruti Suzuki Estilo (three consecutive years)
• Most Appealing Upper Compact Car — Maruti Suzuki Ritz
• Most Appealing Premium Compact Car — Maruti Suzuki Swift
• Most Appealing Entry Midsize Car — Honda Amaze
• Most Appealing Midsize Car (in a tie) — Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento
• Most Appealing Premium Midsize Car — Chevrolet Cruze
• Most Appealing MUV/ MPV — Toyota Innova (seven consecutive years)
• Most Appealing SUV — Toyota Fortuner (two consecutive years)
Even though J.D. Power says that the studies were based on evaluations provided by verified vehicle owners in India, there are certain inconsistencies that we found in the studies. Case in point, the Maruti Suzuki A-Star, which won the Most Dependable Compact Car award for 2013 actually sold minuscule numbers for the year. The car was a chink in Maruti’s shining armour and had to be replaced with the Celerio this year.
