Volkswagen of America has announced that the Jetta and the GTI have each earned a J.D. Power and Associates APEAL Award for 2007. The J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout or APEAL Study is aimed towards measuring owner delight with the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicles.
“These awards and our overall rankings show that Volkswagen builds compelling, quality vehicles that our customers love to drive,†said Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president, Volkswagen of America in an interview. “Our vehicles strike a strong emotional chord with owners.â€
According to the study, new or redesigned products with a high APEAL score generally command a higher gross profit and sell more quickly.
The Jetta topped the vehicle in the compact car segment, which was followed by the all-new Rabbit which placed second. The redesigned GTI topped the compact sporty car segment, while the all-new EOS placed third. Never to be left out, the Passat also came in a close second in the competitive mid-size car segment.
The 2007 APEAL Study was conducted through a survey, and the responses gathered between February and May 2007 from more than 91,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2007 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership were used as reference.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Eos, and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U. S. dealers.