Each year J.D. Power & Associates does a study that examines the most appealing cars to consumers and this year there is one big surprise. The Hyundai Genesis sedan topped the BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XF in the mid-sized luxury segment for the 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.

The APEAL Study is based off of owner evaluations of over 80,900 new car consumers from February to May 2009 and takes into account over 90 factors and generally evaluates how those buyers or leasers feel about their car new car.

Other winners include the VW Passat in the Mid-sized car segment, the Nissan Maxima in the Large Car segment, the Honda Odyssey in the Minivan Segment, a tie between the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Avalanche in the Pickup Truck segment and the Smart fortwo in the Sub-compact Car segment. And on that note, we urge you to take the list with a grain of salt, as the Smart beat out cars like the Honda Fit.

In terms of manufacturers, Porsche topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, while domestic brands like Dodge, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac showed the most improvement. As a manufacturer Cadillac placed third overall.

Overall, scores for 2009 improved over 2008, due mostly to improvements in the fuel-economy segment. J.D. Power lists three contributing factors to this increase: improved fuel-economy of the vehicles; an increase in ownership of fuel-efficient cars, with over 50 percent (as compared to 39 percent in 2008) of the surveyed vehicles powered by four-cylinder engines; and a drop in fuel prices that has also meant consumers are less interested in fuel economy.

One other trend that has emerged is the increasing appeal of domestic brands, as they ranked, on average, just five points below import brands. This compares to a difference of 15 points last year and 27 points in 2007.

GALLERY: J.D. Power 2009 APEAL Study

Official release:

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: JULY 16, 2009 – The automotive industry achieves a three-year high in appeal for new and redesigned models, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study released today. Seven of these models have received segment-level awards.

In 2009, the APEAL score for all-new and redesigned models averages 790 on a 1,000-point scale-11 points higher than in 2008 and 15 points higher than the 2009 score for carryover models. In addition, seven all-new and redesigned models rank highest in their respective segments, including the Dodge Challenger, Ford F-150 (in a tie), Ford Flex, Hyundai Genesis, Nissan Maxima, Volkswagen CC and Volkswagen Tiguan.

“Most automakers are on track in terms of designing new models that are highly appealing,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. “The greater challenge for manufacturers lies in creating models that launch with both strong appeal and high quality, which ultimately lead to improved sales through greater customer loyalty and advocacy.”

Throughout the years, vehicle models achieving high APEAL scores have been shown to benefit from faster sales, less need for cash incentives and higher profit margins on each vehicle sold.

The average APEAL score for all models in 2009 has improved considerably to 779 from 770 in 2008, driven primarily by increased owner satisfaction with fuel economy. This higher satisfaction comes from three main sources. First, fuel prices have decreased significantly during the past year, which has reduced owner concerns about gas mileage. Second, owners are switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles-in 2009, more than one-half of all vehicles included in the study are powered by four-cylinder engines, compared with just 39 percent in 2008. Third, automakers are designing models to be more fuel efficient than their predecessors.

“Although lower fuel prices and the switch to smaller vehicles have undoubtedly helped, there are also many individual vehicles that have made strong improvements in fuel economy ratings,” said Sargent. “For example, the Ford F-150, Cadillac Escalade, Volkswagen Jetta and redesigned Dodge Ram have all made major strides in owner satisfaction with fuel economy through the introduction of more efficient powertrains.”

In 2009, domestic brands comprise the four most-improved nameplates. Dodge posts the largest improvement, followed by Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac, respectively. In addition, the three most-improved models are from domestic manufacturers, including the Dodge Ram, Buick Lucerne and Ford F-150.

“Consumers have a great array of appealing vehicles to choose from by both domestic and import brands,” said Sargent.

The overall gap in APEAL scores between domestic and import models has narrowed considerably during the past several years and is just five index points in 2009, compared with 15 points in 2008 and 27 points in 2007. Among premium models, import nameplates retain a slight edge, while among non-premium models, domestic brands have a similar edge.

APEAL Model-Level and Nameplate Rankings
Volkswagen captures four segment-level awards-more than any other vehicle nameplate in 2009-for the CC, GTI, Passat and Tiguan. Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan each garner two awards. Ford receives model-level awards for the F-150 (in a tie) and Flex. Honda models receiving awards are the Odyssey (for a fifth consecutive year) and Ridgeline (for a fifth consecutive year). Mercedes-Benz earns awards for the S-Class (for a third consecutive year) and SLK-Class. The S-Class achieves the highest APEAL score of any model in the industry. Nissan receives awards for the Armada and Maxima.

Also receiving awards are the Chevrolet Avalanche (for a second consecutive year), in a tie; Dodge Challenger, Hyundai Genesis, MINI Cooper (for a second consecutive year); Porsche Cayenne (for a second consecutive year); and smart fortwo. The Ford F-150 and Honda Ridgeline are the only two models to rank highest in their respective segments in both the 2009 APEAL Study and 2009 Initial Quality Study (IQS) released in June.

Porsche is the highest-ranking nameplate in APEAL for a fifth consecutive year.

The APEAL Study examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 90 vehicle attributes. The 2009 APEAL Study is based on responses gathered between February and May 2009 from more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership. The APEAL Study complements the recently released J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), which focuses on problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days of ownership.

Find more detailed findings on new-vehicle APEAL performance as well as model photos and specs by watching a video, reading an article and reviewing APEAL ratings at JDPower.com.

A new survey out of the U.K. by J.D. Power & Associated in association with automotive resource What Car? might be great new for Lexus… but it’s quite the opposite for both Chrysler and its new bosses at Fiat.

The Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) lets owners of three year old cars rate those vehicles and Chrysler did not do well. In fact, it finished dismally, ranking in the second last place.

You might think Chrysler’s new bosses at Fiat wouldn’t be too pleased about the results, but Fiat has its own problems, with a ranking of dead last.

The survey includes info on vehicle quality and reliability, appeal, ownerships costs and overall satisfaction. In total 15,700 online interviews were conducted for 29 brands on 101 models.

Lexus topped the list (for the ninth consecutive year), followed by Honda and then Mercedes-Benz.

[Source: J.D. Power & Associates]

Car sales for the month of May appear to show a certain level of recovery – at least for U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors.

Ford posted a loss of 28.5 percent, its best result since July of 2008. As for GM, it declined “just” 29 percent marking its best monthly performance since September.

In total, auto sales in the U.S. were down 33.7 percent, the smallest drop since the recession really got going in October.

Helping to bring the national average down were Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda, which suffered 40.7 and 41.5 percent sales declines respectively.

Jeff Schuster of J.D. Power & Associates attributes the larger declines for Honda and Toyota more to the unusually high sales both companies saw in May 2008. During that period Honda actually set a monthly sales record as skyrocketing gas prices saw consumers turning away from domestic automakers to buy fuel-efficient imports.

Compared to 2007, in 2008 Honda and Toyota saw increases of 15.6 and 4.3 percent, while Ford and GM fell 15.9 and 27.5 percent.

Meanwhile Chrysler’s sales were understandably low as the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on the 1st of May. Sales were down 46.9 percent, despite some industry experts claiming that dealership liquidation sales would provide a boost in sales.

That bump may yet occur, and may now include sales of General Motors vehicles. The drastically reduced inventory is also expected to have the most impact on U.S. automaker Ford, which plans to launch strong incentive programs to attract consumers interested in domestic products.

[Source: Automotive News]

Full sales numbers for all automakers in the U.S. after the jump:

Numbers in this table are calculated by Automotive News based on actual monthly sales reported by the manufacturers and may differ from numbers reported elsewhere.
Source: Automotive News Data Center
Note: Other includes estimates for Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lotus
*Includes Mini and Rolls-Royce
**DaimlerChrysler sold the Chrysler group on Aug. 3, 2007
***Incudes Maybach, Mercedes-Benz and Smart
****Includes Jaguar and Land Rover (through May 31, 2008) and Volvo
*****Includes Saab
†Includes Honda Division and Acura
††Includes Hyundai and Kia
†††Includes Nissan Division and Infiniti
‡Tata Motors includes Jaguar and Land Rover as of June 1, 2008
‡‡Includes Toyota Division, Lexus and Scion
‡‡‡Includes VW, Audi and Bentley

Jaguar has once again been awarded the top spot in the J.D. Power & Associates Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study. After missing out for 2007, Jaguar’s return to the top of the list is the company’s fourth first-pace ranking in the past five years.

The Study, which has been run by J.D. Power for the past 22 years, is based on responses from 35,805 new-vehicle buyers who registered their vehicles in May 2008. The survey is based on five factors: the dealership facility, the sales staff, the paperwork and finance process, the delivery process and the vehicle price.

For 2008 Jaguar also placed first in the J.D. Power & Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) Study for the second year in a row.

Official release after the jump:

JAGUAR RECLAIMS THE #1 RANKING IN

J.D. POWER AND ASSOCIATES 2008 SALES SATISFACTION INDEX (SSI) STUDY^SM

IRVINE, Calif., November 19, 2008 – Reaffirming its reputation as an automotive leader in sales satisfaction in the U.S., Jaguar North America is proud to announce its number one ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study.

Jaguar has established the sales satisfaction benchmark in four of the past five years and in 2008 achieved an industry leading score of 907, a 14 point improvement from 2007.

“I am delighted that Jaguar has reclaimed the number one ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Sales Satisfaction Index Study,” said Mike O’Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar Cars. “Our simultaneous number one ranking in J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index and Sales Satisfaction Index studies reflects the dedication that everyone at Jaguar shares in delivering outstanding customer service.”

“To set the benchmark for four of the past five years in the J.D. Power and Associates Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study and to rank number one for two consecutive years in the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) Study reaffirms the passion of our employees and reflects the tremendous standards that our dealers consistently achieve,” comments Gary Temple, president Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC.

The Study, now in its 22^nd year, is a comprehensive analysis of the new-vehicle purchase experience and is based on responses from 35,805 new-vehicle buyers who registered their vehicles in May 2008. Overall customer satisfaction is measured based on five factors: dealership facility, salesperson, paperwork/finance process, delivery process and vehicle price.

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