Luxury autos earn royal lift on Edmunds following William and Kate's wedding

(May 7, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — For certain premium luxury brands, William and Kate's highly publicized wedding may have been a regal product placement opportunity, according to Edmunds.com.

Bentley site traffic increased by 185 percent on Edmunds.com the day of the royal wedding (April 29), compared to the average "consideration" levels for the brand over the previous four Fridays.

The famed British automaker had the honor of chauffeuring Prince William and his brother Harry to Westminster Abbey in a Continental Flying Spur.

For Aston-Martin, which made the convertible that Prince William took for a spin with his new bride, the increased attention was almost as sweet, with a lift of 153 percent over its Friday average.

"It's not surprising that some viewers among the hundreds of millions who watched the wedding would immediately try to find out more about these gorgeous cars," said Carroll Lachnit, features editor at Edmunds.com. "Most people — certainly most Americans — have never before seen some of these stately, elegant and yes, even sexy, vehicles."

Rolls-Royce, which carried the bride to the ceremonies in a Phantom Coupe, earned a 93 percent increase in consideration on Edmunds.com. Jaguar, whose new XJ transported the bride's mother to the wedding, received a 45 percent lift in consideration.

For more details on how the royal vehicles resonated with Edmunds.com com visitors, read the full recap on Edmunds' AutoObserver.com.