Customer satisfaction with authorized dealer service in India has increased considerably from 2009, according to the J.D.

Power Asia Pacific 2010 India Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM released today. The study, now in its 14th year, measures satisfaction among vehicle owners who visited their authorized dealership service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 24 months of ownership. The study measures overall satisfaction by examining five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality; vehicle pickup; service advisor; service facility; and service initiation. Overall customer satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction. Maruti Suzuki achieves an overall CSI score of 849 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in all five factors. While still performing below industry average, Fiat, Hyundai and Skoda each improve notably in 2010, gaining 40 points or more from 2009. Overall customer satisfaction with dealer service averages 812 in 2010, an improvement of 27 points from 2009. The 2010 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study is based on responses from more than 5,800 owners of more than 60 different vehicle models. The study was fielded from May to August 2010 and includes customers who purchased their vehicles between May 2008 and August 2009. The study finds that providing service customers with explanations of the work to be performed on the vehicle prior to servicing has a strong positive impact on the overall satisfaction. Implementation of this service standard has improved significantly from 2009. The study examines the cost of operating new vehicles, both in terms of actual costs (including fuel; repair and maintenance; and tire expenses) and owner satisfaction with those costs. Due to higher fuel prices in 2010, the cost of new-vehicle operation has increased since from 2009 studyup 9 percent for petrol vehicles and 16 percent for diesel vehicles. The study also finds that customers who are highly satisfied with the overall service performance of the dealer have higher levels of advocacy and loyalty to both dealerships and the brand. Among customers who are highly satisfied (service satisfaction scores averaging above 900), 86 percent state they definitely will revisit their service dealer for post-warranty service. In contrast, only 36 percent of highly dissatisfied customers (service satisfaction scores averaging below 748) say the same. Similarly, 86 percent of highly satisfied customers say they definitely will recommend the service dealer compared to 38 percent of highly dissatisfied customers Source: http://www.motorbeam.com/cars

India's Most Trusted Brand 2010: The Economic times Maruti Suzuki has been ranked India's most Trusted Brand in Automobile Sector by India's leading Business newspaper The Economic Times. 2000-2011: JD Power Customer Service Index Award - India The biggest draw for the past twelve years has been the award for highest recognition by the customer. In 200910 again, for the twelfth consecutive time, Maruti Suzuki ranked the highest in J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2011 India Customer Service Index (CSI) study

Project involves: -Introduction about Maruti-Procedure followed by Maruti for catering to the needs and queries of thecustomers-Application of Five Forces Model in the Automobile Industry-Quantitative researchAwareness regarding the facilities provided by Maruti-Overall opinion about Maruti Research Methodology: The purpose of methodology is to describe the process involved in research work. This includes the overall research design, data collection method, the field survey and the analysis of data. Research Objective: To find the satisfaction amongst the customers of Maruti. Research Design: Detailed and structured questionnaire was designed. Survey a sample of 100 customers. The methodology developed was Primary and Secondary research. The questionnaire was designed to get information from customers about their satisfaction and overall opinion about Maruti. Sources of Data: Primary data Secondary data

History of Maruti
In 1970 , Sanjay Gandhi the son of Indira Gandhi envisioned the manufacture of an indigenous , cost effective , low maintenance compact car for the Indian middle class . Indira Gandhis cabinet passed a unanimous resolution for the development and production of a people scar. Sanjay Gandhis company was christened Maruti limited. The name of the car was chosen after a Hindu deity named Maruti Ltd. That timeHindustan Motors Ambassador was the chief car and the company hadcome out with a new entrant the premier Padmini that worked slowlygaining a part of the market share dominated by the ambassador. For thenext ten years the Indian car market had stagnated at a volume of 30,000to 40,000 cars for the decade ending 1983.Sanjay Gandhi was awarded the exclusive contract and license to design,develop and manufacture the Peoples Car. These exclusive rights of production generated some criticism in certain quarters, which wasdirectly targeted at Indira Gandhi. Over the next few years the companywas sidelined to Bangladesh liberation war and emergency.In the early days under the powerful patronage of Sanjay Gandhi thecompany was provided with free land, tax breaks and funds. Till the end of 1970 the company had not started the production and a prototype testmodel was welcomed with criticism and skepticism. The company wentinto liquidation IN 1977. The media perceived it to be another area of growing corruption. Unfortunately Marutis started to fly only after thedeath of Sanjay Gandhi, when Suzuki motors joined the government of India as a joint venture partnered with 50% share. After his death IndiraGandhi decided that the project should not be allowed to die. Marutisentered into this collaboration with Suzuki motors. The collaboration heralded a revolution in the Indian car industry by producing the maruti-800. It created a record of taking 13 months time to go from design trolling out cars from a production line. The production of Maruti-800 in 1983 marked the beginning of revolution in the Indian automobile industry. It brought in the latest technology of that time more fuel efficiency and lower prices that led tothe creation of a huge market for all car segments as the Indian, middleclass grew in size. This in turn brought in more players in this segment. Anumber of auxiliary car parts making units were set up as more car manufacturers realized it was more cost effective to make their car parts in India rather than importing them. Marutis major influence was in helping the component industry in the country because of its emphasis on localization and indigenization. As inthe beginning that sector hadnt grown much Marutis had to start dozens of joint ventures with Indian entrepreneurs. It got them from foreign collaborations that led to collaborations for other manufacturers so that over a period of time the whole component industry was able to upgradeitself and improve its quality who had given their income leading to major existing export potential vehicle components. It also brought in better methods of financing that allowed more people who given their income levels could not afford to buy a car on their own, to buy cars. It stillremains the leader not only in the terms of market share but also in customer satisfaction surveys. It has consistently topped J.D. powerquality surveys, including 2005. By the year 1993 the company had sold1, 96,820 cars. By March 1994 it produced 1 million vehicles becoming thefirst Indian company to cross the 2 million mark in October, 1997 androlled out 4 millionth vehicles as Alto-LX .Then it introduced Wagon-Rfollowed by Swift . Swift has been a great success in the market .In 2007Maruti came up with SX4 and Grand Vitara

Customer Satisfaction Survey of maruti udyog.

India is an emerging country with huge potential. The domestic economy is now growing at around 9-10%per annum and Indias importance in global terms is being reinforced by rapidly rising exports and domestic consumption. At a time when numbers of a slowdown and overheating inthe Indian economy have started gaining momentum, the Indian rupee sprang a surprise by pushing the GDP figure past the trillion-dollar(42,00,000 crore) mark. The automotive industry is at the center of Indias new global dynamic. The domestic market expanding rapidly as incomes rise and consumer credit becomes more widely available. Manufacturers product lines are being continually expanded, as is the local automotive manufacturing base. Expectation are high that India can develop as a global hub for vehicle manufacturers and as an outsourcing center that offers the global automotive industry solution high up the automotive value chain India's GDP is set to double over the next decade .In percentage terms, the automotive industrys contribution should also double. In dollar terms, the sector's contribution is set to quadruple to some $145bn The automobile industry in India accounts for a business volume of $45billion and has the potential to grow much faster both through Indian aswell as international manufacturers who have established huge facilities inthe countryWith the worlds second largest and fastest-growing population, there isno denying Indias potential in both economic and population terms and the effect it will have on the auto industry in the years to come. Thecountry is already off to a good start, with a well-developed components industry and a production level of 1 million four-wheeled vehicles a year, plus a further 5 million two- and three-wheelers. The implications, market drivers and scope of a future massive Indianvehicle market are covered in the India Strategic Market Profile, a brand-new forecast of Indian automotive and related activity to 2020. Based on Max Pemberton's unique relational long-term forecasting model, it forecasts car and CV sales, demographics, materials usage, auto industry employment, and explains their inter- year of healthy growth in auto industry.

FUTURE OF AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY

US based consultancy, keystone predicts that India will become worlds third largest automobile market by 2030. Overall size expected to exceed 20 million with compounded annual growth rate of over 12%.

India Then & Now 1983 Number of brands 2 Number of models 2 2008 Number of brands 30 Number of models 70 2011 Number of brands 45 Number of models 120

Some of the Car companies in India:

Maruti Suzuki Fiat General motors (Opel, Chevrolet) Ford Hindustan motors, Mitsubishi Honda Hyundai Mercedes Benz Nissan Skoda Toyota Mahindra Tata motors

The production of automobiles has greatly increased in the last decade. It passed the 1 million mark during 2003-2004 and has more than doubled since] Year 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Car Production 2,814,584 2,175,220 1,846,051 1,713,479 1,473,000 1,264,000 1,178,354 907,968 703,948 654,557 517,957 533,149 % Change 29.39 17.83 7.74 16.33 16.53 7.27 29.78 28.98 7.55 26.37 -2.85 Commercial 722,199 466,330 486,277 540,250 546,808 362,755 332,803 253,555 190,848 160,054 283,403 285,044 % Change 54.86 -4.10 -9.99 -1.20 50.74 9.00 31.25 32.86 19.24 -43.52 -0.58 Total Vehicles Prodn. 3,536,783 2,641,550 2,332,328 2,253,999 2,019,808 1,628,755 1,511,157 1,161,523 894796 814611 801360 818193 % Change 33.89 13.25 3.35 10.39 19.36 7.22 23.13 22.96 8.96 1.62 -2.10

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_India