BRANDInsider.tv – Strategies. Insight. Perspective.

In this episode we profile IntelliChoice and AutoPacific’s Motorist Choice Awards, 2011. The award winners were announced at this years first major auto show, the 2011 Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California.

Now in its sixth year, the Motorist Choice Award is designed to recognize vehicles and automotive brands that deliver the best combination of high consumer satisfaction and low ownership costs over time.

We interviewed Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor for IntelliChoice as he describes the process, strategy and criteria for selecting this year’s winning vehicles. Vogelheim explains that Intellichoice and AutoPacific looked at over 1800 makes, models and trim levels in order to give consumers valuable insight on which vehicles had highest value in performance, efficiency,  and price over a five-year period.  AutoPacific surveyed over 72,000 consumers in 2011, asking owners for feedback on their purchased vehicle, using 48 attributes covering all aspects of their ownership experience.

With these two combined, Intellichoice and AutoPacific selected 30 winners in two different categories based on price, popular [less expensive] and premium [more expensive] as well as lifestyle categories that shoppers can easily identify with like “Active Lifestyle”, “Cargo Hauler”, “High Tech” and others.

Ford led the list of winning vehicles with four models including the Expedition and Ford Focus.  Repeat winners included the Dodge Ram HD in the Popular Active Lifestyle category, Hyundai Genesis in the Popular Luxury Lifestyle category, the Lexus IS in the Premium Youthful category, and the Scion tC in the Popular Youthful category.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL WINNER LIST

“The Motorist Choice Awards are designed to assist consumers by using a categorization scheme other than traditional vehicle classes. “Our research has shown that buyers often shop in more than one vehicle segment based on their needs and uses, rather than simply choosing a segment and then comparing models within it,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “Whether buyers are seeking a kid friendly, youthful, or fun to drive vehicle – we have a suggestion that will fit their budget and needs.

3Y735GJ3NFK2