A recently released University of Michigan study on customer satisfaction revealed big improvements for the Detroit Three.

The National Quality Research Center headquarter at the university annually produces an American Customer Satisfaction index rating participant-owned vehicles on a 100 point scale.

For the one-year period prior to June 30, 2007, the Detroit automakers picked up customer satisfaction gains based on higher quality products not consumer incentives.

Ford saw the biggest gain with a climb of 3.9 percent for an overall score of 80. Although both GM and Chrysler also picked up points, all three still remained near the bottom of the list.

While Asian automakers grapple with quality issues and sales growth, Lexus by Toyota remained on top with an 87.

Four brands tied for second place. Cadillac, Buick, Lincoln, and Mercury all posted scores of 86 points.

Both Toyota and Honda sat at the top segment of the list with scores of 84 each. The rating did, however, represent an overall drop of 3.4 percent for Toyota from last year.

The founder of the customer satisfaction index, Claes Fornell, said, "Toyota is faced with the challenge of managing growth and quality at the same time. The number of recalls has increased and there are issues with dealership service."

Fornell attributed Ford's workforce and production cutbacks as instrumental in its overall progress.

"Smaller production runs may allow for a better focus on quality, and a smaller customer base means the most satisfied (and therefore most loyal) customers are those that are most likely to remain," said Fornell.