Fifty-seven percent of customers "definitely would" recommend Cat engines according to a recently released study that ranks Caterpillar’s diesel engine highest in heavy-duty diesel engine satisfaction.

International marketing information firm J.D. Power and Associates awarded Cat heavy-duty diesel truck engines two awards: Highest Customer Satisfaction -- Heavy-Duty Over the Road Engine and Highest Customer Satisfaction --Heavy-Duty Vocational Engine.

"The 3406E engine rated highest in 12 of 14 engine satisfaction measures. These awards are a tribute to the men and women of Caterpillar who design, manufacture, sell and support our products," said Rich Thompson, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for the company’s global engine products and research division. "We believe that the results of the survey, as an independent third-party evaluation, reflect our consistent product improvement and commitment to customer satisfaction in this industry."

These are the first J.D. Power and Associates awards to be given to a truck engine manufacturer since the survey began in 1997. The award is based on the results of a J.D. Power and Associates 2000 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine Study, which measures customer satisfaction with product quality and performance.

The study, based on interviews with more than 2,300 owners of two-year-old Class 8 trucks (weighing 33,000 pounds or more), examines customer satisfaction among over-the-road and vocational customers with a number of important engine factors, including engine performance and quality, as well as warranty, noise and fuel economy.

The over-the-road segment is typically used for long-haul engine applications. The vocational segment is defined as heavy-duty trucks operating in typically rugged business environments, such as construction, sanitation/refuse, forestry, mining or utility services.

Headquartered in Agoura Hills, California, J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on actual responses from millions of customers annually.

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