Maruti's Alto and Esteem, Honda City, Toyota Corolla and Qualis have topped JD Power's initial quality study even as the total number of problems reported by owners of new vehicles has increased in the industry.

Initial quality in the Indian automobile industry has declined since 2003, largely due to an increase in problems such as excessive fuel consumption reported by new vehicle owners, JD Power Asia-Pacific Manager Mohit Arora said in a statement.

"The increase in the number of customers reporting problem with their vehicle's fuel consumption is not surprising, given the sharp increase in fuel prices in India," he said.

As fuel costs account for over 85 per cent of the total operating cost of a vehicle, customers expected better fuel economy, he said.

In the compact car category, Alto topped the chart followed by Fiat's Palio and Maruti's Zen.

Esteem stood first in the entry-level mid-size car, while Ford's Ikon, and General Motors' Opel Corsa and Swing trailed behind at the number two and three slots, respectively.

In the mid-size segment, City was followed by Hyundai's Accent and Maruti's Baleno.

Toyota's Corolla was followed by Chevrolet Optra and Skoda Octavia in the premium mid-size segment.