Buyers rate GM, Ford high

Detroit automakers gained ground in a University of Michigan customer satisfaction survey set to be released today, marking the second report in a week that shows positive signs for the quality of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. brands.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand ranked first in the study, which asks car owners to rate their satisfaction with the vehicles they own. Lexus scored 87 on a 100-point scale. Ford’s Lincoln and Mercury brands, GM's Buick and Cadillac brands and BMW all tied for second at 86. The scores are part of the American Customer Satisfaction Index produced by the University of Michigan's National Quality Research Center.

The scores are encouraging for Detroit because they come in a year when the domestic nameplates — led by GM — are trying to offer less in incentives, said Claes Fornell, director of the U-M center.

In previous years, owners may have felt some satisfaction because they thought they had gotten a good deal on a domestic brand, Fornell said. Quality likely is driving the scores up this year, he said.

"I think that's much more sustainable than playing the pricing game," Fornell said. "Everything seems to be moving in the right direction."

The U-M study follows a report issued last week by J.D. Power and Associates that showed Buick tied with Lexus in quality for vehicles 3 years old. Cadillac and Mercury ranked in the top four, as well. More at Detroit Free Press