For Maruti, this is the sixth consecutive year when it has been ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the J D Power India Customer Satisfaction Index Study. Hyundai and Ford came in the second and third position in the 2005 survey where more than 4,200 owners of 33 different vehicle models participated from June to August.

Outlining the parameters for judging a company's performance, JD Power said overall satisfaction with the dealer's service department was assessed on 42 attributes, grouped into seven predefined factors like problems experienced, service quality, user-friendly service, service initiation and in-service experience.

"Maruti's consistent performance in the study over the past several years has resulted in a steady increase in the percentage of its customers who say they intend to remain loyal to the brand," J D Power Asia Pacific, India director, Mohit Arora said.

As per the survey, the industry improved its overall performance by three index points, with seven of the 11 nameplates ranked in 2005 showing improvements from 2004.