AutoPacific Announces 2004
Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

Lincoln Top Brand, LS430 Top Car, Escalade EXT Top Truck

Results of a study released by noted automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. reveal high owner satisfaction with new 2004 model year cars and light trucks. AutoPacific's VSA (Vehicle Satisfaction Award) study is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring owner satisfaction with their new vehicles.

Lincoln is highest-rated brand for 2004, winning by a nose in a photo finish with Cadillac and Lexus. These three brands have "owned" AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Awards since 2001. Cadillac won in 2001, shared top honors with Lexus in 2002 and won outright again in 2003.

The vehicle registering highest overall satisfaction for a fifth consecutive year is Lexus LS430. The highest-rated truck is Cadillac's Escalade EXT sport utility truck. This is Escalade EXT's second victory in as many years. Its 2004 score only one point behind the gold-standard LS430 represents quite an accomplishment for both a domestic manufacturer and a "truck".

General Motors has four winners this year, tops among the various corporations. The GM winners are Cadillac DeVille, taking the American Luxury Car category for the third year in a row, Pontiac Grand Prix the Premium Mid-Size Car category, Cadillac Escalade EXT the Light Duty Pickup category, and the new Chevrolet Colorado the Compact Pickup category. DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group wins with PT Cruiser in Compact Sport Utility, Dodge Ram HD in Large Heavy-Duty Pickup. Its Mercedes-Benz of North America arm wins with its SL in the Sports Car category. American Honda registers two corporate victories with Acura RSX tops among Sporty Cars and Honda Odyssey winning Minivan honors, as does Ford with Mazda 6 in Standard Mid-Size Car and Lincoln Navigator in Luxury Sport Utility. Rounding out the list of multiple winners is Nissan-USA, which wins two awards with the Entry Luxury Maxima and the new Armada Large SUV. Armada's victory is particularly notable in that it is a completely new vehicle with new chassis, powertrain and body, built in an all-new greenfield plant in Mississippi by a workforce that for the most part has never built vehicles before. Quite an accomplishment by any definition.

AutoPacific president George Peterson notes "Korean makers remain a factor in the satisfaction stakes this year, with Hyundai's Santa Fe Midsize Sport Utility winning its class for the third year running. We all know Korean quality is improving at a rapid rate. What is both surprising and notable is Korean ability not just to build quality in from the outset, but to keep the quality initiative going over an extended build run. This reinforces what we've suspected for awhile now. Korean success is not just a flash-in-the-pan, but is likely to continue into the future."

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