MRF Ranks Highest in 2006 India Original Tyre Customer Satisfaction Study

Tyre Industry Makes Considerable Improvement in JD Power's Latest Survey

MRF moves up three rank positions from 2005 to rank highest in customer satisfaction in the JD Power Asia Pacific 2006 India Original Tyre Customer Satisfaction Index (TCSI) Study^SM released on 11th April 2006. This is the fourth time MRF has ranked highest in the study.

The study, now in its sixth year, analyses perceptions of new-vehicle buyers on five critical factors: appearance of tyre, durability of tyres, ride quality, traction and handling.

 
"MRF's comeback to the top position is supported by industry benchmark performance on all five factors evaluated in the study," said Mohit Arora, India director at JD Power Asia Pacific in Singapore. "As a result, MRF has the industry's highest proportion (60%) of customers indicating they would definitely repurchase the same brand when the time comes for replacing their original tyres."

The 2006 industry average score of 789 index points (on a 1,000¬-point scale) is an improvement of 18 points from 2005, largely based on gains for MRF and JK Tyre, which together account for more than two-fifths of the total industry. The most significant improvements are the factors for durability and traction, with most brands demonstrating an improvement in these areas.

 
In line with the gains in overall satisfaction achieved by MRF and JK Tyre, these two brands have also garnered larger shares of the original tyre market in India, each increasing their market share by 8% compared to 2005. "We have been tracking the market share of major tyre manufacturers in India since the inception of the study. While the actual market share might differ marginally, this data provides a strong indication of the share of major tyre manufacturers during the survey period," said Arora.

The 2006 India Original Tyre Customer Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses from more than 2,600 new-vehicle owners of 33 different vehicle models in India. Customers were surveyed between June and August 2005 at 12 to 18 months of ownership.