Auto industry customer satisfaction hits high in China

Customer satisfaction with major automakers has climbed to its highest point in the past 10 years, according to the China Automobile Customer Satisfaction Index (CACSI) released on Friday. The index uses data from customer interviews that last for five months to measure satisfaction regarding 125 auto brands created by more than 36 automakers. The auto industry achieved a score of 80 out of 100, the highest mark since 2002, when the CACSI was launched. The industry's performance this year has been most impressive in terms of product quality, as well as sales and aftersales service, according to Fan Tianshun, director of the Users Affairs Department affiliated with the China Association for Quality, which is responsible for compiling the CACSI. The customer complaint rate stood at 15.6 percent, down 1.6 percent year on year, said Fan, adding that high fuel consumption and air conditioner problems annoyed consumers the most. Joint venture automakers, including Shanghai General Motors, Shanghai Volkswagen and Beijing Benz, led the index, although domestic brands, including Chery Automobile, Geely Automobile and BYD Auto, have improved rapidly in terms of improving their designs, said Fan. However, there is still a gap between domestic brands and joint ventures regarding brand image and perceived quality, Fan added.