Proton, Naza and Inokom have crashed out in a recent study on which car brand satisfies Malaysian consumers the most, especially in terms of after-sales service.

They took the three bottom slots in the study - JD Power Asia Pacific 2005 Malaysia Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) - which included 11 carmakers.

However, there still appeared to be a glimmer of hope for Malaysia's automotive industry in the form of Perodua.

Perodua, which specialises in producing compact vehicles, was the only local car manufacturer to have passed the industry's average level of customer satisfaction.

The study's average index rating was 713, based on a 1,000-point scale. Proton - which has been in the market since the early 1980s - was 23 points below. Perodua passed the test, garnering 721 points.

Topping the list, was Nissan, followed by Honda and American carmaker Ford at the third spot. While the Korean-made Kia cars received the thumbs-up from drivers, it still ranked one spot below Perodua.

The study, in its third year, is independently conducted by JD Power to measure customer satisfaction with maintenance and repair service at authorised dealerships. It was based on evaluations from over 2,200 vehicle owners at 12 to 18 months of ownership.

Seven main factors

In explaining its study, the company said in a statement that the "overall customer satisfaction is measured by dealer performance attributes which are grouped into seven CSI factors".

The seven factors, in order of importance, are: service quality, problems experienced, user-friendly service, in-service experience, service advisor, service initiation and service delivery.

"The service standard implementation rate is closely tied to overall customer satisfaction. Loyalty and advocacy intentions are also closely linked to the number of services provided," said JD Power general manager Gerrit Kuyntjes in Singapore.

Complaints of product quality and after-sales services are synonymous with Proton. The carmaker itself had recently said it planned to shed its cheap image.

Recently, malaysiakini reported the frustrations of a Proton Waja owner, who claimed his car has been in and out of the service centres more than 10 times but its defects remain.

Proton, the largest selling make in Malaysia, has former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed as its advisor.