Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 1:04 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
Charger Edges Out Platform-Mate Chrysler 300 for IVA Win: The 2012 Dodge Charger comes closest to the ideal of any Large Car. The Charger is 31 rating points higher than the second place Large Car – the Chrysler 300 – its platform-mate. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Getting a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive. Ninety-percent or more of Charger owners rate these characteristics ideal: exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, ride and handling and ease of getting in and out. These also are primary reasons a person buys a Large Car. Eighty-percent or more of Charger owners find these additional characteristics ideal: interior lighting, driver’s seat comfort, tires, interior storage compartments and safety features.
A Few Shortfalls – Many Could Have Been Corrected by Selecting Available Options: Charger is an expressively styled car, but about 21% of the owners want even more daring styling than it now has. Hand-in-hand with this expressive styling comes somewhat restricted visibility. About 21% of the owners would like better driver’s seat visibility. Over 30% of the owners want more distinctive wheels than they now have. Over 30% of the owners want more/better infotainment/entertainment technology. Of course, with the broad span of the Charger’s lineup, owners could have optioned up to more distinctive wheels and the uConnect information system. About 27% of Charger owners want more power and acceleration – clearly, they did not opt for the HEMI V8.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/consumer-s-ideal-cars-revealed-in-2012-iva-awards-112116/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 12:54 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
Challenger Edges VW Eos for IVA Win: The 2012 Dodge Challenger comes closest to the ideal of any Sporty Car. The Challenger edges out the second place Volkswagen Eos (retractable hardtop convertible) to win in this class. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Eighty-percent or more of Challenger owners find these characteristics ideal: exterior size, cargo space, exterior styling, driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling, ease of getting in and out and safety features.
A Few Shortfalls – Most Solved by Selecting Available Options. Being a Sporty Car, Challenger is about style, power and handling. About 40% of Challenger owners want more power and acceleration – guess they did not opt for the optional HEMI V8. About 29% of Challenger owners want more distinctive wheels than they have now. About 29% of Challenger owners want more infotainment technology. Perhaps each of these shortfalls could have been solved by selecting available options.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/consumer-s-ideal-cars-revealed-in-2012-iva-awards-112116/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 16, 2011 at 9:10 am
The Dodge Challenger is the top ranked Sporty Car in AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Award Research. Sporty Car owners are always seeking more and even though the Challenger won because its owners did not want much changed, there are some substantial areas they want changed. First, almost 50% want more power. This is characteristic of the Sporty Car buyer and Challenger buyers are no exception. Challenger owners want better visibility – a characteristic sacrificed by the aggressive styling of the car. They also want more infotainment technology. They most like its exterior size (although some want it smaller), cargo room and seat comfort. The Challenger handily outpointed the second place Volkswagen Eos for the Sporty Car trophy.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on May 25, 2010 at 7:49 am
The Dodge Nitro is top rated by its owners in the Mid-Size Sport Utility segment. Characteristics that were particularly highly rated include overall seating capacity, rear seat comfort, interior storage compartments and audio system performance.
This personality-packed Dodge is a little larger than its Jeep Liberty counterpart and customers clearly appreciate the larger interior that results. Dodge has been applying lessons learned from the minivan business to all segments, with proof it matters here: Nitro’s clever storage options contributed to its win. The 2010 VSA win follows Nitro winning the 2009 Owner Recommendation Award.
For a complete list of winners and description of the Awards, click here.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on May 20, 2010 at 6:26 am
National Survey Reveals Cadillac as Top Premium Brand, Buick as Top Popular Brand, Ford Motor Company Has Most Awards with Seven, Suzuki Kizashi as Top Car and Lincoln MKT as Top Truck
TUSTIN, Calif. (May 20, 2010) — AutoPacific today announced its 14th Annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) to help consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions.
“While the auto industry is showing signs of improvement, more than ever before, manufacturers need to be able to differentiate themselves. Proof of satisfied customers is as good as gold,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “We’ve found that more than 25% of new car buyers are positively influenced by owner-based awards like the VSA when deciding on a new car or truck.”
AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award is an industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new car or light truck. This study by the Southern California-based automotive research firm summarizes the results of over 42,000 new vehicle owners.
“Vehicles that score highest in the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are delivering value and satisfaction across a wide range of attributes,” says Peterson. “The winners perform well in 48 separate categories that objectively measure the ownership experience.”
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on December 28, 2009 at 9:20 am
PickupTucks.com and AutoPacific have taken a look at all the new trucks sold in the past 10 years and made their picks for the most significant trucks of the decade. The trucks that made the list introduced cutting edge technologies and pushed the segment into new territory.
“Despite the economic challenges of the past two years, it’s hard not to look back at the last ten years without calling it the decade of the pickup truck,” said PickupTrucks.com editor Mike Levine. “Sales of full-size pickups hit 2.56 million units in 2004 and Ford’s F-Series trucks remain the nation’s best-selling vehicles, 33 years in a row.”
Though there are many trucks that had a significant impact in the last decade, it’s clear that the 2009 Ford F-150 earned the title of “Most Significant”.
“On balance, we thought the 2009 Ford F-150 was the most significant pickup of the last decade,” said Jim Hossack, vice president of consulting for AutoPacific. “It sells in high volume, owners like it and its body, chassis and powertrain are all first rate. Features abound, and there are more models, series and options than can be counted. It’s a good looking truck and suitable for the widest possible range of tasks and uses.”
After the jump are those trucks deemed most significant, in no particular order.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on August 11, 2009 at 6:34 am
“Dodge Challenger’s win of the 2009 Motorist Choice Award was preceded by its win of the AutoPacific Ideal Vehicle Award. Owners in the Sporty Car Segment gave the Challenger the nod as it packs everything the 1970s muscle car had to offer into a modern reincarnation. From flair and bravado to horsepower and braking, the Challenger has what it takes to be a success in this segment.” — AutoPacific
“The Challenger has the lowest insurance costs and was ranked first in the AutoPacific survey.” –IntelliChoice
Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Image
* Exterior Styling
* Fun to Drive
* Braking
* Power and Acceleration
* Vehicle’s Ride
Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Lowest Insurance Costs
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on May 26, 2009 at 8:40 am
The Dodge Ram is all-new for 2009, and Dodge is setting a new and higher standard for the full-size pickup segment with this generation Ram. It offers class-leading strength in many important areas, and dramatic styling and a new coil-spring rear suspension contribute to the class win. Attributes where the new Ram is the class leader include:
• Exterior and interior appearance, and image
• Dynamic characteristics, specifically including ride, handling and braking
• Overall quality, and warranty
• Safety features, and a feeling of safety when driving
• And, perhaps most important of all, value for the money
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on May 19, 2009 at 12:00 am
AutoPacific’s 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Award Highlights Consumer Opinion As Industry Struggles
National Survey Measures Satisfaction with New Vehicles
TUSTIN, Calif. (May 19, 2009) — In the most challenging auto sales market in years, AutoPacific today announced its 13th Annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA). For the second straight year, Cadillac ranks highest among new car owners, taking the Highest Satisfaction Brand honors even with the turmoil surrounding General Motors and the industry as a whole.
Overall brand satisfaction ratings among Hyundai purchasers jumped 11 positions earning Hyundai 2009 Rising Star honors. This positive move was more than any other manufacturer in the survey. Hyundai scored higher in 40 of 48 rating categories in 2009 compared with 2008. Two Hyundai products took VSAs this year: the Genesis in the Aspirational Luxury Car category and the Sonata in the Premium Mid-size car class.
“These are difficult times, with news of automaker bankruptcies, companies restructuring and dealer closures a daily occurrence,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “Clearly, the dynamics surrounding the Vehicle Satisfaction Award in 2009 are far different from anything we’ve seen in many years. Winners needed to overachieve to earn their awards.”
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on October 13, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Are we nearing the end of Chrysler? Or the beginning of a new blended family? Or just another day at the rumor mill?
Late on Friday, the first stories began appearing about GM and Chrysler in possible merger talks. And at least in Detroit, dominated the weekend news cycle. GM’s stock went up this morning, but given that the Dow was up 5.6% and GM went up only about 3%, the stock bump might have happened without merger talk. GM closed on Friday at $4.89, a number some say is actually less than the company would be worth in capital assets alone.
All of this merger talk, whether these deals are realistic or not, does nothing good for public perception. The economy is weak, last week’s events on the stock market don’t reassure anyone, and talking about GM and Chrysler perhaps needing to merge to survive only further erodes confidence in American business. While GM and Chrysler LLC, as well as any other maker in trouble right now, needs to consider even unthinkable options and test our common assumptions as they get out of this trouble, this merger does not inspire hope.
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