Dodge, Porsche on top in terms of love felt by owners, says 2021 J.D. Power study

Article content

Speedsters and sluggers are the top winners in the latest new-car appeal ratings, according to auto industry analysts J.D. Power.

Article content

Dodge is the highest-ranking mass-market brand in the firm’s 2021 report; while Porsche is tops among premium brands.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Dodge, Porsche on top in terms of love felt by owners, says 2021 J.D. Power study Back to video

The J.D. Power annual APEAL Study measures the emotional attachment between owners and their new vehicles. “APEAL” stands for “Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout.”

Responses from 110,827 owners to the APEAL Study shows just how much owners love their Dodge Challengers, Ram 1500s, and their Porsches. Porsche and Dodge tied for the highest ranking of 882 points, while Genesis and Land Rover weren’t far behind.

[J.D. Power says Tesla would have handily pulled ahead of Porsche with 893 index points, but the company was not officially ranked because it does not allow its customers to be surveyed in several states, skewing results. —Ed.]

Article content

The APEAL Study can be mined for all sorts of trends. For instance, BMW saw the X4, X6, and X7 placed at the highest levels of emotional appeal and initial product quality (via J.D. Power’s IQS) . Not surprisingly, the Cadillac CT5 and Chevrolet Corvette receive the same accolades, as did the Genesis G80, Kia Telluride, and Nissan Maxima.

At the specific model level, General Motors, BMW, Hyundai, and Nissan all collected numerous model awards.

Industry uptrends in the love owners feel for their vehicles are attributed to the launch of new and significantly redesigned models in 2021, according to the J.D. Power news release. “Some are all-new and some are redesigns, but the new launches demonstrate that automakers are getting even better at hitting buyers’ emotional triggers,” read a statement from the firm.

Mass-market brands who need to cook up a better love potion, according to the survey, include Mitsubishi, Buick, Jeep, and Volkswagen. Premium brands short on the heartthrob scale include Infiniti, Acura, Audi, Jaguar, and Alfa Romeo.

The APEAL Survey was handed out to new-car buyers 90 days after taking ownership, which should be enough time to rate the love between owner and vehicle.