When the organizers of the 2013 China Automobile Customer Satisfaction Index (CACSI) announced their results recently, the SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Co Ltd was a big winner in spite of a lower-than-average satisfaction level in the domestic vehicle field.

The survey, which has been used since 2002, is the work of the China Quality Association and China National Customer Committee, and has become an important gauge of auto quality for manufacturers and buyers alike. This year’s survey covered 138 brands and models, in 48 major cities across the country and involved fierce competition. The Roewe 350 and MG3 were stand-outs in the survey, showing yet again that SAIC Passenger Vehicle has gained fame from quality and services.

SAIC Passenger Vehicle came in first in several categories and matched the satisfaction level of joint venture brands, and even some luxury brands. According to the China Quality Association, the Roewe brand was named first in service satisfaction among domestic brands, putting it out in front of many joint-venture carmakers.

The Roewe 350 is the ideal family car, with the highest score -- 81 points -- in the 70,000 - 100,000 yuan category. It has won recognition from buyers for its wide space, safety, user-friendly technology, and high price-performance ratio. This past September alone, more than 10,000 units were sold, for a growth of about 50 percent year-on-year, showing that customers recognize Roewe 350 as a premiere choice. It is also worth noting that more than 70 percent of the Roewe 350 customers decided to install SAIC Motor’s inkaNet3.0 intelligent drive system. This system can help drivers make an intelligent choice of routes to avoid traffic congestion and increase efficiency, and can accommodate messaging, phoning, and navigation services via voice control, relieving the drivers of unnecessary moves thereby improve safety. This is perhaps one of the more important reasons for customer satisfaction.

The compact MG3, scored 77 points making it the runner-up in the 70,000 - 80,000 yuan category, just one point below first-place. The MG3 has ranked among the top three in the A0-class of compact cars and has become the most representative of MG vehicles. MG is of course the legendary British brand, which has gotten new vigor and a new life under SAIC Motor, a member of the global Top 500, with growing popularity thanks to its unique performance and creativity.

In addition to being awarded for customer satisfaction, SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle earned brand-related awards, for example, for Roewe, which earned a score of 82 in marketing services -- the highest of any domestic brand -- and a match for any joint-venture brands, some of which it outpaced. The Roewe brand also put in a good performance in after-sale services, with a scoring of 78, outperforming other domestic brands and a mere point below the top score earned by joint-venture brands.

The SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Co is now expanding its marketing and distributor network, while improving its marketing and service system, to provide quality and convenient services to satisfy customers as sales grow. In fact, in its after-sale services, the company already adopted a “Doorstep maintenance” approach as early as 2011, an innovative strategy to provide services for car owners at their own home to help save them time and money. In the past two years, the company has also solicited opinions of all its customers and, by analyzing the feedback, has been able to improve services, pushing the consumer satisfaction rate up as high as 99 percent. This pioneering move has in turn helped the development of China’s auto service sector as a whole and has become a benchmark for after-sale services.

In the end, SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle’s outstanding performance in the survey means that the best reward is from customers thanks to its product quality and services. The company expects to continue working on quality and services, and will provide safe, environmentally friendly products and better services in the future.