AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -

FCA US announced Tuesday that it has awarded 468 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships with Customer First Award for Excellence designations this year.

The winning group of dealerships achieved the highest level of customer experience recognition in the program's five core areas: people, facility, processes, customer performance metrics and training certification.

“The fact that our Customer First Award for Excellence dealers demonstrated this level of excellence in such a highly competitive market demonstrates their drive to be the best of the best,” FCA head of U.S. sales Reid Bigland said in a news release. “Customers today have higher expectations of the shopping and ownership experience, and our Customer First Award for Excellence dealers are meeting – and exceeding – those expectations.”

The program was originally launched in 2015 with FCA dealer partners and J.D. Power to improve customer satisfaction with Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships in the U.S.

“The number of Customer First Award for Excellence dealers continues to increase year-over-year, demonstrating FCA and our dealers' consistent focus on providing a superior customer experience,” said FCA US head of network development Al Gardner. “These 2018 Customer First Award for Excellence dealers are leading the way for our network, and the award is clear evidence of their everyday dedication and commitment to their customers.”

Each year, all 2,600 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships across the country are eligible to earn the award.