The 2012 Audi A8 is the highest performing model in the study for the first time; 2012 Audi A6 receives the Most Appealing Midsize Premium Car designation
The Audi A8 received the award for the most appealing large premium car and is the overall best performing model in the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study released today (July 25).
The study measures how gratifying ownership of a new vehicle is to consumers, who gave the Audi luxury flagship sedan high marks. In fact, the A8 received the highest score in the 2012 study. APEAL survey respondents also ranked the redesigned and progressive Audi A6 as the most appealing model in the midsize premium car segment.
Overall, Audi APEAL study scores improved by 13 points from 2011 results, indicating an immediate payoff for the Audi brand strategy to bring the most technologically advanced lineup of models to U.S. consumers in the luxury car market.
Audi moved up one position to rank 4th out of the 34 nameplates in the 2012 APEAL study. This is the 17th year of the J.D. Power and Associates US Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study SM, which examines owners’ assessments of the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicle in the first 90 days of ownership.
“Audi products have become the envy of the luxury automotive industry,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “This is a result of our unwavering focus on developing premium vehicles that are intelligent in design, progressive in technology, and exceptional in performance. According to the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates APEAL Study, consumers are recognizing this as well. There can be no question that Audi has the right lineup for these times.”
The 2012 Audi A8 – the flagship of the Audi brand known for its superior design and progressive advances in engineering, technology and performance – received the APEAL award in the Large Premium Car segment. With a score of 902, the A8 was the highest-performing model in the 2012 APEAL Study. This marks the first time in the history of the study that an Audi model achieves this distinction. With its design and innovative Audi connect™ system which offers Google Earth™, Google™ Local Search, clear and efficient Google™ Voice Local Search, real-time weather, fuel prices, news and travel information as well as a Wi-Fi connection for up to eight devices, its no wonder that the A8 received such high marks by APEAL respondents. Audi is the only brand globally offering factory-installed wireless Internet, an advance now available in core models, such as the Audi A4, Audi A5 and Audi Q5.
The 2012 Audi A6 received the highest ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study for the Midsize Premium Car segment. One of the most innovative and technologically advanced Audi models to date, the A6 boasts intelligent features such as head-up display, a MMI® touch pad that recognizes handwriting in multiple languages, a thermal imaging camera with night vision assistant as well as the Audi pre sense plus driver assistance system. The A6 also features Audi connect.
Other Audi models fared well in the J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study results: the 2012 A4/5, Q5, Q7, and TT all ranked third in their respective segments.