Go back to school with your Mac, iPhone and TUAW

Detroit automakers take hit in U of M satisfaction study

After years of incremental improvement in customer satisfaction, a study from the University of Michigan shows that overall, Detroit automakers have declined versus their Japanese and German rivals. The study, which polls customers with six-month-old to three-year-old vehicles, shows that U.S. automakers have stalled in their quest to improve satisfaction. The problem? Rising gas prices have made truck and SUV customers very unhappy with their vehicles, which reflects negatively in the overall score.

The Chevrolet brand was hit hardest, with scores dropping 3.7% versus last year's score. The bow tie brand was ahead of only Dodge and Jeep. The news isn't all bad for General Motors, though, as truck and SUV-less Saturn posted the industry's largest gain of 4.9 points to get within one point of Toyota and Honda's score of 86. Buick and Cadillac also performed very well in the survey, with each GM brand scoring an 85. Ford was flat year over year, but the Blue Oval's score of 80 was two points lower than the industry average. Lincoln Mercury also saw a big 3.5% drop in satisfaction, but those Ford brands are still above the industry average score with an 83. Chrysler did very poorly overall, with all three brands scoring under the industry average.

While the Detroit automakers might take note of the unfavorable results, this survey isn't widely published like the ones from J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. Both Ford and GM are faring well in J.D. Power's recent studies, and both are also still showing improvement in Consumer Reports.

[Source: Detroit News]

Related Headlines

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)


Autoblog Features





Featured Galleries

2010 Nissan Cube (JDM)
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 HUMMER H3T Alpha
2010 Ford Mustang - sneak peek
2010 Ford Mustang - LIVE
2010 Ford Mustang
Rolls Royce RR4 - spy shots II
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4
Scion xB Taco Truck
The new Nurburgring
Ferrari Zobin Concept
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Chevy Traverse LT

 

Find Your Next Car


Autoblog Video

Sponsored Links

Autoblog bloggers (30 days)

#BloggerPostsCmts
1Jeremy Korzeniewski885
2Damon Lavrinc742
3John Neff640
4Noah Joseph620
5Chris Shunk600
6Frank Filipponio573
7Jonathon Ramsey561
8Drew Phillips460
9Dan Roth398
10Sam Abuelsamid387
11Michael Harley245
12Sebastian Blanco220
13Alex Nunez2215
14Chris Tutor201
15Merritt Johnson64
16John McElroy40