Tata Motors' passenger cars have been named as the worst performer among 23 same category vehicles running on South African roads in a new customer satisfaction survey released today.In a study conducted by JD Power and Associates, Tata cars were ranked at the bottom of a list of 23 passenger vehicle brands in South Africa. The vehicles were compared on the basis of initial quality feedback given by customers.German auto giant BMW topped the list as the best quality brand in the passenger vehicles segment, which included cars and sports utility vehicle (SUV) models.The study said the German car reported a total number of 142 problems per 100 vehicles, the lowest in the segment. Tata cars reported as many as 567 problems per 100 vehicles - the highest for the segment. The score of Tata vehicles was more than double the average passenger vehicle score of 245.Tata Motors sells its hatchback Indica and sedan Indigo in the African nation.JD Power said its annual study was a customer-driven measure of problems experienced in the first three to seven months of ownership. It examined 228 problem symptoms across nine factors, including exterior and interior, entertainment, driving experience, controls and displays, features, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, engine and other problems.All the brands were given scores based on problems reported per 100 vehicles with the lowest scores indicating fewer problems and therefore, better quality rankings.JD Power is a leading international market research firm and is part of US-based McGraw Hills group that also owns brands like Standard & Poors and BusinessWeek.In the passenger vehicle quality ranking, BMW was followed by Honda, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in the top five.Ford's British brand Land Rover, which Tata Motors is currently looking to acquire along with the US carmaker's another luxury UK brand Jaguar, was ranked at ninth position.JD Power said Jaguar and passenger vehicle models of another Indian automaker Mahindra were included in the study but were not ranked due to their small sample sizes.Tata Motors had announced its foray into the South African market in 2004 with a range of passenger cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses.The list of pick-up trucks was topped by Toyota with 227 problems per 100 vehicle. The study for this segment also included vehicles made by Tata and Mahindra, but they were not ranked because of small sample sizes.The lower compact car segment was topped by Kia Picanto, while Honda Jazz and Audi A3 were ranked the highest in the lower small car and upper small car categories respectively.
