Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-largest carmaker, has become the most-improved nameplate among mass market brands in satisfaction among new-vehicle buyers in the United States, a recent U.S. survey showed.

The maker of flagship K9 luxury sedan saw its score jump by 33 points to 661 points on a 1,000-point scale, and ranked 11th, up from 16th in 2012, according to the J.D. Power 2013 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index Study released last month.

Meanwhile, Kia’s bigger sister company, Hyundai Motor Co. ranked the fifth highest in satisfaction with the new-vehicle buying experience among mass market brands, up from 11th place in 2012.

Hyundai, South Korea’s largest carmaker, scored 677 points, compared with 650 points in 2012, according to the J.D. Power.

Hyundai and Kia are the two major flagship units of Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s fifth-largest carmaker.

The J.D. Power study said satisfaction is highest among new-vehicle buyers who are presented with pricing and payment options on a computer screen or tablet with a score of 833, followed by a computer printout with a score of 820. Verbal price quotes and hand-written figures took the third and fourth places with 792 and 780, respectively.

“The study finds that tablets are proving to be versatile and effective tools that may help maintain consistency in the sales process, while providing easily accessible and dynamic product information,” Chris Sutton, senior director of the automotive retail practice at J.D. Power, said in a comment posted on the company’s website. (Yonhap News)