Maruti tops JD Power initial quality study

The quality of cars manufactured in India continued to improve with problems reported by customers dropping in all categories, according to a study conducted by JD Power Asia Pacific.

Maruti Suzuki has emerged as No 1 in the '2005 India initial quality study' awards.

"The number of problems reported by customers has dropped in all categories comprising the study compared to 2004 with eight out of 12 nameplates showing improvements, " Mohit Arora, director of JD Power Asia Pacific India, said.

"This is genuinely a positive sign for both manufacturers and new vehicle buyers," he added.

Maruti Suzuki emerged top in the JD Power study with three of its models - Alto, Swift and Esteem - bagging first positions in their respective categories.

In the compact car segment, Maruti's Alto, Zen and WagonR took the top three positions relegating Hyundai's Santro to the fourth position.

While Alto has been rated first among compact cars for the second year in a row, WagonR is the industry's most improved brand over last year.

The company's entry-level, mid-sized Esteem was rated first for the third year in a row ahead of Ford Ikon and Tata Indigo.