Toyota and General Motors lead in 2015 Motorist Choice Awards

(October 25, 2015) — Automotive industry research companies IntelliChoice and AutoPacific have announced the winners of the 2015 Motorist Choice Awards. Winning vehicles came from 13 different brands and 10 different manufacturers. Toyota had the most wins and General Motors dominated in the truck segments.

Now in its10 year, the award recognizes vehicles that deliver the compelling and sought after combination of high consumer satisfaction and lower-than-expected ownership costs over time — meeting the needs and expectations of both the heart and the mind.

The Motorist Choice Awards were designed by IntelliChoice and AutoPacific 10 years ago and have since become a reliable guide for new car shoppers. The awards take AutoPacific’s owner satisfaction data from new car and light truck owners and combine those data with IntelliChoice’s cost of ownership rating methodology.

Toyota and Lexus had an even mix of winning cars and trucks. In contrast to Toyota’s diversity of winning vehicles, General Motors led in the truck segments with five winning vehicles from three brands.

“It’s an accomplishment in itself to bring to market a vehicle that satisfies a consumer emotionally, physically and financially,” said Dan Hall, vice president of AutoPacific. “Toyota is in the envious position of having achieved this combination across two brands, as well as the car and truck segments. Where many automakers do well with either their cars or their trucks, Toyota has done both.” Notably, three out of the six winning Toyota and Lexus vehicles have hybrid powertrains.

General Motors’ truck brand GMC took three top spots, while Cadillac and Chevrolet each had one winning vehicle. “One of the great things about General Motors’ wins this year is that they have cornered the large SUV and truck market,” says Hall. “Whether consumers are looking for luxury, premium, or middle-of-the-road, GM has a winning vehicle there.”

The remaining wins went to Honda with three Hyundai and BMW with two each, and Volvo, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda and Ford, each with one apiece.

This year’s list of winners also contains seven all-new vehicles: Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Canyon, Ford-F-150, Honda Fit, Subaru Legacy and Volkswagen Golf.

“Each year the competition rises as automakers address consumer feedback and put out vehicles designed to fix previous issues, address needs, and ultimately, satisfy consumers,” explained Hall. “Winning in the first year of a new model truly means that automakers have been listening.”

Each year, AutoPacific performs the broadest and most widely followed vehicle satisfaction survey in the U.S. This results in consumer feedback from more than 66,000 new vehicle buyers on a recently purchased model year 2015 vehicle. Using 50 key attributes covering the entire ownership experience, AutoPacific calculates overall vehicle satisfaction for individual models and vehicle segments and announces its annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) based on the findings.

Concurrently, IntelliChoice constantly monitors and updates the cost of ownership metrics for more than 2,000 model trim lines to give valuable insight into the financial impact of ownership over a five year period. This analysis is the foundation of the IntelliChoice Best Overall Value of the Year (BOVY) awards, announced each January, and its interim Best Deals Awards, which show case top values on a monthly basis, considering changing economic factors such as fuel costs, price changes and rebates.

The Motorist Choice Awards combine complementary analyses from both firms into one set of accolades representing vehicles that earn high marks on both sets of criteria. This methodology provides a superior means of evaluating “Best in Class” vehicles that align consumer shopping patterns with probability for both satisfaction and value.

“Combining the AutoPacific consumer survey data with the IntelliChoice cost of ownership data is a great benefit to consumers,” said Eric Anderson, Ownership Cost Database supervisor for IntelliChoice. “Whether you are looking for a luxury crossover, a compact car or a minivan, the Motorist Choice Awards help shoppers choose a vehicle that fits their lifestyle and financial bottom line. Based on our research, we’re proud to recommend these vehicles to consumers.”