Skoda turns out to be india's popular car!!

For a second time in a row, Skoda, a unit of German car maker Volkswagen, topped the customer satisfaction survey in JD Power Asia Pacific 2008 India Sales Satisfaction Index study.

The study, in its 9th year, surveyed 5,416 new passenger car owners in 20 Indian cities having an ownership tenure of two to six months. Forty-one different passenger car brands were assessed in the study.

On a 1,000-point scale, Skoda scored 799 points.

Tho know more about these carmakers who top the customer satisfaction list, read on. . . .

Skoda Auto is an automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic. Skoda became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 1991.

The company originated in early 1890s and initially it used to manufacture bicycles and motorcycles. By 1905, Skoda started manufacturing cars. During World War I, Skoda was engaged in war production.

At present, Skoda has several manufacturing and assembly plants across the globe. In India, the company has an assembly plant at Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The unit, which was established in 2001, is known as Skoda Auto India Private Ltd.

Ford: Ford stood second in the customer satisfaction survey with a score of 792 points.

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation, founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903.

The company started with a capital of $28,000 pooled in by 12 investors.

During its early years, Ford produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components made to order by other companies.

At present, Ford is the world's fourth largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales, preceded by Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen.

Honda: Honda (782 points) shares the third position in customer satisfaction survey along with Toyota and Mahindra & Mahindra.

Honda Motor Company, Limited is a multinational corporation, engine manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan.

To start with, Honda was a racing company. Honda Racing Corporation was formed in 1982. The company combined participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of high potential racing machines.

In 1964, Honda entered Formula One as a constructor at the German Grand Prix.

At present, the company manufactures automobiles and motorcycles, trucks, scooters, robots, jets and jet engines, ATV, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and aeronautical and other mobile technologies.

The company has recently ventured into mountain bikes as well.

Honda is the fifth largest automobile manufacturer in the world and the second largest in Japan behind Toyota and ahead of Nissan.

Toyota: Headquartered in Aichi, Nagoya and in Tokyo, the company manufactures automobiles as well as robots.

Toyota Motor Co. was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 and vehicles were originally sold under the name 'Toyoda'.

The company name was later changed to simplify the pronunciation.

Toyota provides financial services through its division Toyota Financial Services. Toyota Industries and Finance divisions form the bulk of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

Mahindra & Mahindra: Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is part of the $6.7 billion Mahindra Group.

M&M is an automotive, farm equipment, financial services, trade and logistics, automotive components, after-market, IT and infrastructure conglomerate.

The company was set up in 1945 and christened Mahindra & Mohammed. The name was later changed to Mahindra & Mahindra.

Initially set up to manufacture general-purpose utility vehicles, M&M is one of the oldest manufacturer of heavy jeeps in India.

The company later branched out into manufacture of light commercial vehicles nd agricultural tractors.

At present, M&M is the leader in the utility vehicle segment.

Maruti Suzuki: Maruti Suzuki came fourth with 775 points in the customer satisfaction survey.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (formerly Maruti Udyog Limited), a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, is India's largest passenger car company, accounting for over 50 per cent of the domestic car market.

Headquartered in Gurgaon, the company was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983.

Maruti Suzuki annually exports more than 30,000 cars and has an extremely large domestic market in India selling over 500,000 cars annually.

Cars similar to Maruti (but not manufactured by Maruti Suzuki) are sold by Suzuki in Pakistan and other South Asian countries.