Awards

In the latest round of crash safety tests conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), the Lexus HS 250h has received the agency’s highest rating of “Good” on its first evaluation, the frontal offset crash test.  In this test, vehicles are accelerated towards a barrier at 40 mph.

Approximately 40 percent of the vehicle’s front end comes in direct contact with the barrier, causing asymmetrical impact forces which increase the potential for cabin intrusion.  In its frontal offset test, the HS 250h came through with top ratings in each area, namely structure/safety cage, injury measures, and restraints/dummy kinematics.

Insurance Institute of Highway Safety 

J.D. Power and Associates has released the results of its annual Customer Service Index Study (CSI), and Lexus was again the top-ranked luxury brand, plus the #1 brand overall in customer service. According to J.D. Power:

The study examines satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit a service department for maintenance or repair work. The CSI rankings are based on dealer performance during the first three years of ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period. Five measures are examined to determine overall customer satisfaction with dealer service (listed in order of importance): service quality; service initiation; service advisor; service facility; and vehicle pick-up.

Lexus ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands and receives an award for a second consecutive year. Lexus achieves an overall CSI score of 837 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in four of the five measures: service quality; service initiation; service advisor; and service facility.  Rounding out the top five nameplates in the premium segment are Cadillac (827), Jaguar (822), Acura (817) and BMW (816).

This year, J.D. Power also separated out the scores, producing charts for luxury and mainstream brands.  Lexus’ CSI score of 837 was consistent with last year’s, improving by 2 points.  Despite an ever-expanding owner base, Lexus’ customer service scores have remained high, with the division taking the CSI top spot in 2006, 2009, and now 2010.  The average luxury brand score was 813, while the top mainstream make, the outgoing Hummer brand, scored 815.  Lexus, Hummer, Saturn, and Buick were also the only brands to receive J.D. Power’s 5-Power Circle Rating, signifying “among the best.”

[Source: JD Power]

Consumer Reports has announced its annual Top Picks for 2010, and the Lexus LS 460 L was named Best Overall Car and the #1 luxury sedan for the third consecutive year. The LS retained its top score of 99 out of 100 in Consumer Reports road tests, making it the highest-rated vehicle ever tested by the publication.

Read the USA Today article

Intellichoice announced their annual Best Overall Values of the Year awards at the Chicago Auto Show last week, and Lexus was well represented. The IS took the Luxury Sports Sedan/Wagon category and the RX was named the best overall value in the Luxury Crossover category and the Best Crossover/SUV value over $28,000.

Read the Lexus press release

Lexus has placed first in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, tying with Cadillac. Rounding out the top five was Buick, Honda and Lincoln-Mercury. Lexus scored 89 out of a possible 100 points, a 2.3% increase over last year.

This marks the fourth year in a row that Lexus has placed first in the University of Michigan study, which asks car buyers to rate their satisfaction level compared with their expectations.

[Source: ACSI via Bloomberg]

The Lexus LS was named the top vehicle of 2009 Motorist Choice Awards, a US joint survey by AutoPacific and Intellichoice that “recognizes new cars and trucks that give their owners both economic and emotional satisfaction”:

“Clearly, consumers still get great satisfaction from large and luxurious cars, despite the economy, rising fuel costs and manufacturers’ focus on smaller vehicles,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “The highest scoring cars in this survey are Premium Luxury Cars, Large Cars, Crossovers and SUVs, whether they’re built in the U.S., Asia or Europe. This affinity for big vehicles makes the American market unique compared to the rest of the world.”

The ES & RX also took top honors in their respective categories, making Lexus the top luxury brand of the study.

[Source: AutoPacific (Thanks Safeer!) ]