General Motors got a boost when American car buyers ranked Saab as the top European automaker in terms of customer satisfaction.

The 2003 JD Power Customer Service Index (CSI) rated the brand ahead of BMW (10th overall) and Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Jaguar (a three-way tie for 11th) and Audi in 20th place.
Saab also improved its ranking to seventh overall in the study of 37 auto brands based on the responses of nearly 106,000 new vehicle owners.

Saab’s CSI rating was 892 points, 17 more than last year, taking it from eighth place in 2002 and 10th in 2001. The industry average improved from 843 to 851 and the luxury make average from 871 to 880.

“The higher overall JD Power CSI average clearly shows the industry bar is raised, and that Saab is dedicated to meeting the challenge with world-class quality and constantly improving service to our customers,” said Fadi Ghosn, GM’s Middle East divisional marketing manager for premium brands.

The JD Power & Associates survey of long-term quality saw GM’s Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands all record substantial improvements. GM took a top-three placing for the second year running in JD Power’s annual ‘initial quality’ survey.