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Google and Apple Defy Declining Customer-Satisfaction Trends

As an analyst in GM's Quality department, I spend the better part of each working day immersed in quality and customer satisfaction data. Given the dramatic improvements I've seen in GM's product portfolio over the past few years I was puzzled by the results of the ACSI. Granted, GM still has some less than stellar products in it's portfolio that are nearing the end of their lifecycles but it would be hard to argue that the recent crop of new products such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, Saturn Aura and Outlook, etc. aren't indeed class leading products. Don't take my word for it, read the media reviews or better yet, drive one. Understandably, I had a difficult time rationalizing significant improvements in GM's portfolio with subsequent declines in customer satisfaction so I did some investigation. It turns out that the declines in the ASCI have nothing to do with the product itself. Quite the contrary actually, since customer satisfaction with GM products, according to the study, remains high, along with value for the money. What drove the scores down this year are consumer perceptions of the financial condition of GM and the other domestic automakers (big surprise!) and perceptions of poor fuel economy. Perceptions of poor fuel economy don't necessarily reflect reality either. GM currently has 17 models in its portfolio that get 30+ mpg according to the EPA, more than any other automaker.