Maruti Udyog, India's biggest carmaker, has been ranked first in customer satisfaction by international market research firm JD Power.

In terms of initial quality study, Maruti's compact car 'WagonR' topped the list for performance, execution and layout, while Hyundai Motors' compact car 'Santro' was the frontrunner, JD Power Country Manager (India) Mohit Arora said distributing the awards.

In terms of customer satisfaction, Maruti is followed by Hyundai, Honda Siel India and Hindustan Motors, while in the IQS category 'WagonR' was ahead of 'Esteem', Honda's 'City', and Toyota's 'Qualis'.

Ford 'Ikon', Honda 'City', and Tata 'Safari' trailed Hyundai 'Santro' in the performance, execution and layout category.

Receiving the award, Maruti Udyog Managing Director Jagdish Khattar said quality had been of utmost importance for the company and if carmakers could not help customers graduate from two-wheeled vehicles to four-wheelers "or from no wheels to cars, growth rate will be decelerated".

JD Power Asia Pacific, established in 1990, conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in automotive, IT and finance sectors.