In a tie for seventh last year, Mercedes-Benz boosted its customer satisfaction score by 4 percent and took the lead in the American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings, which were released today.

The 2013 Auto Industry report from ACSI measures how satisfied customers are with different nameplates that run the gamut from domestic to import and luxury to mainstream.

Luxury brands have once again grabbed the top perch in the rankings, with Mercedes taking the No. 1 spot with an ACSI benchmark of 88 out of 100. Last year, Lincoln had the top billing with a score of 90.

Earning the No. 2 spot again this year is Lexus, which received a score of 87.  Three Japanese mainstream brands — Subaru, Toyota and Honda — were in a tie for the third-place spot (86).

Honda, in particular, saw a 4-percent rise.

Next up were the two domestic badges — GMC and Cadillac — that ranked above the industry average. Each scored an 85, with GMC gaining 6 percent from last year to reach this level.

Overall, the industry average was 83. This was down from 1.2 percent from last year, ending two consecutive years of improvement.

ACSI points out that this decrease in satisfaction has occurred at the same time that new-vehicle sales have skyrocketed.

“The industry’s sales growth is most likely due to pent-up demand, along with inexpensive financing and the return of dealer incentives,” ACSI suggests.

Claes Fornell, ACSI founder and chairman, noted: “The current lapse in customer satisfaction is a warning signal to automakers — once pent-up demand has run its course, continued sales growth will go to companies that keep their own customers or attract their competitors’ customers.

“The critical component for both types of customer flows is strong customer satisfaction,” Fornell continued. “The more satisfied your customers are, the more likely it is that you will keep them; those with less satisfied customers run the risk of losing them.”

The brand-by-brand rankings are below:

Mercedes-Benz: 88
Lexus: 87
Subaru, Toyota, Honda: 86
GMC, Cadillac: 85
Volkswagen: 84
Industry Average: 83
Acura, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan: 83
BMW, Buick, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda: 82
Jeep: 80
Chevrolet, Dodge: 79
 

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