Mercedes Ranks Number 1 in Customer Satisfaction

By Paul Ausick Updated Apr 28, 1:33AM EDT · Published Aug 26, 11:45AM EDT

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Compared with the second quarter of last year, overall U.S. customer satisfaction with all products was down 0.1%. That’s not good, but far better than the drop of 0.8% in the first quarter of this year when compared with the first quarter of 2013.

The drop in overall customer satisfaction is reflected in ratings for cars, only the average for cars has fallen by much more, by 1.2%, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Among the 21 nameplates tracked by ACSI, fully 80% lost ground in the 2014 survey, while only 10% improved their index scores.

The leading brand for the second consecutive year is Mercedes-Benz with an ACSI score of 86, down from 88 a year ago, but still three points better than runner-up, Subaru. Mercedes is also the top-selling luxury car in the United States, with year-to-date sales of 192,513 through July, compared with sales of 183,791 for BMW and 166,022 for Lexus.

The number three position in the ACSI ranking is shared by Lexus, from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), and Volkswagen. The top-scoring U.S. nameplate was Buick from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), which tied for fourth place with the Toyota and Honda nameplates. The luxury Acura brand from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) posted the lowest score in the ranking — 77.

Chevy and Buick were the only two nameplates to post improved scores in the second quarter. Chevy’s score rose by 3.8% and Buick’s rose by 1.2%. Volkswagen and Kia posted no change. Every other nameplate posted a lower index score than it did a year ago.

The average index score for cars and light trucks was 82, and Chevrolet scored at the average, while the Ford brand from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) scored 81. The Chrysler brand also scored 81, topping luxury brands BMW and Cadillac, which both posted an index score of 80. Volkswagen’s luxury Audi brand posted a score of 79, tied with Chrysler Group’s Jeep brand and one point better than Dodge. The Jeep and Dodge brands outpaced only Acura at the bottom of the rankings.

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About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.