After many years of quality improvement, according to most industry research, U.S. car companies apparently have fallen back into old habits. New data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows that cars made by non-U.S. manufacturers have eclipsed those of the Big Three in terms of how consumers view the quality of their vehicles.
The new survey puts Mercedes (with a score of 88 out of 100) and Toyota Motor Corp.'s (
TM) luxury brand Lexus (87) at the top of the list, which is not unusual based on results from other research studies. Toyota (86) and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (
HMC) (86), also near the top, have moved back up on most lists after a period in which American cars had caught or even passed them in polls. Toyota's demise may have been caused by recalls that hit millions of its cars. The public apparently has forgotten that.
As for the entire industry:
Customer satisfaction with automobiles and light vehicles declines following back-to-back years of improvement, falling 1.2% to an ACSI benchmark of 83. The slide comes at a time when sales of both domestic and import brands are surging. The industry’s sales growth is most likely due to pent-up demand coupled with inexpensive financing and a resurgence in dealer incentives.
Company 2012 2013 % Change
Automobiles & Light Vehicles 84 83 -1.2%
Mercedes-Benz (Daimler) 85 88 4%
Lexus (Toyota) 89 87 -2%
Subaru 87 86 -1%
Toyota (Toyota) 85 86 1%
Honda 83 86 4%
Cadillac (GM) 86 85 -1%
GMC (GM) 80 85 6%
Volkswagen 85 84 -1%
Acura (Honda) NM 83 NA
Ford (Ford) 83 83 0%
Nissan 83 83 0%
Chrysler (Chrysler) 78 83 6%
Buick (GM) 87 82 -6%
BMW 86 82 -5%
Hyundai 85 82 -4%
Kia 82 82 0%
Mazda 82 82 0%
All Others 82 81 -1%
Jeep (Chrysler) 83 80 -4%
Chevrolet (GM) 84 79 -6%
Dodge (Chrysler) 81 79 -2%
