Survey says more U.S. cars make grade

[rickaren]

Survey says more U.S. cars make grade

Posted Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009, 1:58 pm in Employee News

There may be fewer people buying cars from Detroit’s Big Three, but they’re enjoying them more, The Detroit News reported.

According to a University of Michigan survey, people who purchased vehicles from the automakers are happier with their cars and trucks than a year ago, as domestic vehicles close the satisfaction gap with their imported competitors, the News said. The improvements in satisfaction come from Detroit’s most-disgruntled customers giving up on the domestic automakers, leaving a core of buyers who appreciate their recent improvements, professor Claes Fornell, director of the survey and the National Quality Research Center at U-M’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, told the paper.

That trend may pave the way for Detroit’s Big Three to steer their way back to profits by emphasizing repeat business with a smaller base of satisfied buyers, instead of trying to reclaim huge swaths of market share that ultimately were so unprofitable as to drive both Chrysler and General Motors into bankruptcy, the paper said. This year’s increase in satisfaction with U.S. automakers reversed last year’s results, which showed Detroit automakers slipping in comparison to their Japanese and German rivals, the story said. (The Detroit News)