J.D. Power Names Most Appealing 2013 Models

Market research firm J.D. Power conducts an annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study to measure, as the company puts it, “things gone right.” According to the 2013 APEAL Study, the automakers who build the most appealing vehicles sell them for more money and are more likely to engender loyalty in buyers the next time they purchase a new car.

The study finds that within a given market segment, vehicle buyers are willing to spend an average of $1,800 more for a model with a high APEAL score. Not surprisingly, these vehicles also sell faster than those that consumers find less appealing.

David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, says consumers spend more money on vehicles that are attractive, provide the performance and utility they seek, and have nice interiors. Additionally, 64 percent who buy the more appealing vehicles remain brand-loyal the next time they shop for a new car, compared to 55 percent who select a vehicle with a lower APEAL score.

As Sargent says, “One percentage point of loyalty is worth tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars to automakers.”

2013 APEAL Award Winners

This year, J.D. Power surveyed more than 83,000 new vehicle owners for the APEAL Study, and split the market into 23 segments. The brands performing the best in this year’s study are, in order:

At the market-segment level, Chevrolet wins three awards, followed by Ford, Nissan, Porsche and Volkswagen with two awards each. The vehicle with the highest APEAL score in the 2013 study is the redesigned Land Rover Range Rover.

Listed below, in alphabetical order by make and model, are the 23 vehicles that J.D. Power says are the most appealing in each vehicle segment (J.D. Power defines the market segments).