Toyota top of US motoring survey

US consumers are buying increasing numbers of foreign brands

Toyota has topped a survey gauging the satisfaction of US customers for the second year in a row.

The University of Michigan index found US carmakers were gaining some ground on their foreign competitors but were still trailing behind Asian brands.

Toyota earned a satisfaction rating of 87 out of 100 on the index - compared with an industry average of 81.

Last week US researchers at JD Power said Toyota was the most reliable car in a survey of three-year-old vehicles.

'Glimmer of hope'

The University of Michigan study found that US manufacturers had narrowed the gap slightly in terms of quality said index compiler, said Professor Claes Fornell.

"I think what we see here is a glimmer of hope," he said.

"If they can hold on to this and do more in this direction, the future may not be as bleak as a lot of people think."

But he added that popular domestic brands including Chevrolet, made by General Motors, and Ford vehicles still had considerable work to do if they were to overtake the likes of Toyota and Honda.

Detroit share slips

Trends to buy foreign cars had helped to push the overall satisfaction index up, he added.

"As Detroit loses market share, the whole industry's satisfaction goes up a little bit," Professor Fornell said.

"That, of course, is good news for the industry, good news for the consumer, but not good news for Detroit."

General Motor's Buick was found to be best luxury car along with Toyota's Lexus and Honda.

The university's results came from questioning 5,440 car buyers between April and June.