MRF tops JD power study for fifth time

Chennai, May 3 (UNI) Leading tyre manufacturer MRF ranked top in customer satisfaction with original equipment tyres in India, for the record fifth time, according to the J D Power Asia Pacific 2007 Customer Satisfaction Index Study.

A company release here today said that in the seventh year of the study, MRF improved its overall performance to 840 points on a 1000-point scale, up by 18 points from the 2006 study.

The study analysed new-vehicle buyer perception of five critical factors regarding original equipment tyres -- appearance of tyres (28 per cent), durability of tyres (27 per cent), ride (16 per cent), traction (16 per cent) and handling (13 per cent).

MRF's performance was driven by particularly high ratings from customers in all five factors. Further, this was the second time that MRF had been adjudged the best on all five factors, the release said.

The study was based on responses from 2,500 new-vehicle owners of 12 makers and 31 different vehicle models in the country. Customers were surveyed between June and August 2006 after 12 to 18 months of ownership.

J D Power Asia Pacific conducted customer satisfaction research and provided consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries, the release added.

UNI