Yet again, Maruti Suzuki has topped the JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey for new cars. Tata Motors, India’s second largest automaker found itself at the bottom of the list. The latest study called India Sales Satisfaction Index shows Maruti Suzuki India topping the list with 819 points on a 1000 point scale. Honda took second place with 816 points while Skoda rounded off the top three with 812 points. We wonder how Skoda would perform over a 3 year ownership survey specially since the brand is known for poor after-sales.

Interestingly, customers of Tata Motors seem to be the most disappointed lot. The study is based on responses from 6,178 new vehicle owners, who purchased their vehicle between September, 2009, and April, 2010, and includes evaluations of more than 60 models. Long waiting periods robs a customer of the enthusiasm for his car thereby bringing the score down.

JD Power Asia-Pacific Executive Director Mohit Arora said

“The success of Maruti Suzuki is largely attributed to the enthusiasm of sales people at the dealership, as well as their ability to understand customer requirements and provide knowledgeable answers to queries,”. “Excitement surrounding the launch of a new model can quickly become overshadowed in the minds of consumers if there is a lack of availability of the model and if the salesperson fails to display adequate enthusiasm, knowledge and skill in selling and delivering such models,”.