Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 7:09 am
The Hyundai Genesis wins AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award in the Aspirational Luxury Car segment. In its first year on the market, the Hyundai Genesis swept AutoPacific’s owner awards. “The most recent win by Genesis is of AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award shows that Hyundai expertly targeted its owners when designing this luxury sedan,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. “That Genesis won both Vehicle Satisfaction and Ideal Vehicle Awards is testament to the Hyundai product-development process and fine-tuning the marketing message to attract the right buyers to the car.” Categories in which the Genesis excel include:
* Passenger room
* Cargo space
* Power and acceleration
* Ease of getting in and out
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 7:01 am
“The Hyundai Elantra wins AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award. Being the Ideal Compact Car is tough to achieve. There are so many important qualities that it is difficult to score well in all of our rating categories, but the owners of the Hyundai Elantra rated their car above all others in the class,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. “In a product segment where buyers are often not very passionate about their cars, Elantra owners feel strongly positive about their cars.” Attributes for which the Elantra most strongly scored include:
* Exterior size and styling
* Handling
* Safety features
* Ingress/egress
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 6:56 am
“Honda Fit wins AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award for Economy Cars with an extraordinary eight category-leading ratings by their owners. Adding the IVA to its win of AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award and being the top car in owner recommendations in its class is an impressive achievement – an absolute homerun,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. Some of the class-leading attributes that make the Fit ideal include:
* Exterior size
* Cargo space
* Interior storage
* Visibility
* Level of fechnology
* Handling
* Safety features
* Ingress/egress
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 6:51 am
“Ford Taurus’ win of AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award shows that Ford has designed a Large Car that is ideal for its buyers. Ford clearly understands what these buyers want and have delivered,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. “In a product segment where buyers value ease of use, generous passenger size and great visibility, Taurus excels.” Those areas in which the Taurus comes closest to ideal include:
* Visibility
* Ease of getting in and out
* Handling
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 6:45 am
“Dodge Challenger’s win of AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award demonstrates that Dodge has solid contender in the Sporty Car segment. A muscle car in the old style, Challenger has the presence that its owners appreciate,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. “In a product segment where buyers value styling, image and performance, Challenger delivers.” The Challenger earned class-leading scores in such critical categories as:
* Exterior styling
* Ride
* Safety features
* Interior storage
* Cargo space
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on June 29, 2009 at 12:55 am
U.S. Auto Makers Score Most Wins In Meeting Consumer Expectations According To Autopacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards
Survey of 32,000 Consumers Reveals Vehicles that Meet or Exceed Expectations
TUSTIN, Calif. (June 29, 2009) — Porsche and Ford Motor Company earned top honors in the 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA), announced today by automotive research firm AutoPacific. The IVAs are based on owners’ ratings of their new 2009 model year cars and trucks across 15 key vehicle attributes. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal.
“In today’s economy, car buyers take many factors into consideration — styling, safety features, fuel economy and more,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “IVA winners deliver the most of what consumers are really looking for in their vehicles.”
“While some measurements barely differentiate between the highest and lowest-ranked vehicles, the Ideal Vehicle Awards clearly show which carmakers are providing the attributes car buyers want,” says Peterson. “Looking at segment wins and top overall honors, shoppers can use the IVAs as a benchmark for vehicles that are designed and built with customers just like them in mind. In fact, AutoPacific owner research also shows that IVA-winning vehicles achieve higher overall satisfaction from their owners.”
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Posted by George Peterson on October 10, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Ford has not solved the equation of the Ford Taurus (nee Ford Five Hundred from 2005 through 2007). Launched in late 2004 as a 2005 model, the Ford Five Hundred lacked the head-turning style and powertrain selection of the Chrysler 300 introduced at about the same time. Where the 300 is a risky styling tour-de-force, the Five Hundred erred on the side of milquetoast conservatism. Here, it is evident that even the mature large car market rewards expressive stylign much more than styling that blends in.
Five Hundred Was Basically a Good Car – Timing/Competition was Unfortunate
Not that the Five Hundred was a bad car. It wasn’t bad, it was just boring. In AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award research the Five Hundred (along its stablemate Mercury Montego [now the Mercury Sable]) scored near theh top of the industry because of its outstanding seating package, visibility, cargo room and ergonomics. While its powertrain did not set any records, the anemic 203HP 3.0L V6 was adequate for the gray-haired buyers selecting a Five Hundred or Montego.
Launch and Leave Marketing Did Five Hundred No Favors
Adding insult to injury, Ford’s marketing strategy left the Five Hundred high and dry after its introduction period. Launch and leave advertising for an all new car launched into a hotly contested market has proven to be the kiss of death. And for Five Hundred it practically was. Ford watched as Chrysler garnered kudos with its 300/Magnum/Charger while the Five Hundred/Montego/Freestyle struggled to keep Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant working on two shifts.
Major Change After Three Years – Five Hundred Becomes Taurus
Resource constraints prevented Ford from rushing forward changes it knew were necessary. It was decided to adopt a major freshening after three years on the market. Five Hundred gets fresh front end styling adopting Ford’s three bar grille theme. The engine is now a 3.5L V6 getting 260HP mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The interior is upgraded and chassis is much more sporting. Oh, yeah, and the name has been changed from Five Hundred to Taurus. This decision was quickly reached by Alan Mulally when he concluded Taurus was too valuable a name to send to the scrap heap. (Frankly, it should have been Taurus 500 to bring the relationship closer together. Maybe the badges were too expensive).
Could it Be Taurus is Now Great?
In fact, during a conversation with a crusty old journalist at a competitor’s press event, he claimed the best car he had driven for the 2008 season was the new Ford Taurus. Jaws dropped, but he would not back down. He claims the Taurus is right up there with the best.
Well, unfortunately, freshening the styling, upgrading the powertrain and chassis and throwing Ford’s not insubstantial marketing muscle at the Taurus (stressing Taurus 5-Star safety ratings) has not resulted in greatly improved sales. In fact, compared with September 2006 sales of the Five Hundred, Taurus sales for 2008 are down by about 40%. Of course, if you include a few hundred left over 2007 models the number approaches down 30% or so.
So, something drastic is happening. And drastic is NOT GOOD. To date, Ford’s product and marketing have not taken off. Taurus is a much better car than the Five Hundred of a few months ago. Maybe Ford has moved too late with too little in a marketplace that no longer has room for error?
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Posted by George Peterson on September 5, 2007 at 12:00 am
Lincoln Top Premium Brand, Mercury Top Mainstream Brand,
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Top Vehicle, Nissan Titan Top Truck
An “ideal” is defined as an excellent or perfect example. In the annual Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA), announced today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate their new 2007 model year cars and trucks by how closely they come to their ideal. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal.
The conclusion to be drawn from AutoPacific’s IVA results is that carmakers that best understand their customers create the vehicles that are ideal for their core buyers.
Ford Motor Company Wins Unprecedented Eleven IVA Awards for Brands and Vehicles
There are twenty-five segment winners and overall winners for premium brands and mainstream brands.
The top-rated premium brand overall is Lincoln, out-scoring Buick and Porsche for the most ideal premium vehicle brand honors. The top-rated mainstream brand is Mercury nudging out Hyundai for top mainstream brand results.
The top-rated vehicle (and top-rated car) is the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a Premium Luxury Car. The second and third top-rated cars are from Ford Motor Company – the Mercury Montego and the Ford Five Hundred, both in the Large Car category. The top-rated truck is the Nissan Titan, a Large Light-Duty Pickup, closely followed by the new Ford Edge, a Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV.
Ford Motor Company led the industry with a total of nine segment winners. General Motors and Hyundai have four each. Ford won five sport utility vehicle categories with Expedition, Explorer, Edge, Lincoln MKX and Range Rover.
American Brands Have Most Segment Winners
Including two ties, of the twenty-five Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, American brands have twelve segment winners, European brands have six, Japanese brands have five and Korean brands have four winners.
The top-rated product segment is Large Car confirming that Americans continue to value large, comfortable cars suitable for suburban driving and longer distance highway cruising.
Winner details are shown below the fold…
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Posted by Keagan Patrick on September 4, 2007 at 11:59 pm
The S-Class is the clear winner for 2007. The S-Class can claim Most Ideal Vehicle, Most Ideal Car, and Most Ideal Premium Luxury Car. The S-Class scored particularly well on such important measures as ride, handling, power and acceleration, exterior size, passenger room, ease of entry/exit, and interior lighting. Pretty impressive! In fact the only areas with a score below the segment average were technology level (too high) and wheel/tire size and appearance.
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Posted by Keagan Patrick on September 4, 2007 at 11:58 pm
The Infiniti G35 sedan is all new for the 2007 model year with the coupe being carried over from the previous generation. Think of the G35 as a German sport sedan from Japan. Good size, great handling, outstanding powertrain, the G35 wins against all competition in its class. This sedan/coupe duo scored particularly well for handling, exterior styling, wheel and tire size and appearance, and interior lighting. Only cargo space was rated below the segment average.
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