Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co.’s Cadillac joined Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus in the top ranking among auto brands in a University of Michigan survey of customer satisfaction.
The luxury divisions each scored 89 of 100 points in ratings released today by the Ann Arbor, Michigan, school’s National Quality Research Center. Cadillac rose four points from a year earlier to reach the top spot for the first time since 2003. Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln-Mercury and Volkswagen AG’s namesake brand tied for biggest improvement,
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen an increase of this scale from the domestic car industry, and some people will probably say it’s not a moment too late,” said Claes Fornell, who oversees the center’s annual American Customer Satisfaction Index. Greater satisfaction leads to repeat purchases and fewer customer defections, he said yesterday in an interview.
Automakers are competing for customers in a shrinking market. U.S. sales of cars and light trucks slid 32 percent this year through July, after falling to 13.2 million in 2008 from an average of more than 16 million since the start of this decade.
Lincoln-Mercury and Volkswagen rose 5 points to the highest for each since the survey began in 1994. The Ford brand scored 88, tying GM’s Buick and Honda Motor Co.’s Honda for second.
The industry average was 84, the highest ever and a 2-point gain from last year.
Nissan Motor Co.’s Nissan brand ranked lowest and fell four points, the most in the survey.
GM’s Saturn, which the company is selling, and its GMC were the only brands of the U.S. automakers to decline. GM, Ford and Chrysler Group LLC had six of the nine brands that were below the industry average.
2009 American Customer Satisfaction Index
Rank 2009 2008
1 Cadillac 89 85
1 Lexus 89 87
2 Buick 88 85
2 Honda 88 86
2 Lincoln-Mercury 88 83
3 BMW 87 87
4 Mercedes-Benz 86 82
4 Toyota 86 86
4 Volkswagen 86 81
5 Hyundai 85 83
6 Chrysler 84 80
6 Saturn 84 85
7 Chevrolet 83 79
7 Ford 83 80
8 GMC 82 83
9 Dodge 81 78
9 Kia 81 80
9 Mazda 81 80
9 Pontiac 81 80
10 Jeep 79 76
11 Nissan 78 82
Industry average 84 82
