Owners Rank Porsche 911 'Most Satisfying' Premium Sports Car

National Owner Survey Also Selects the Porsche Brand as "Most Recommended"

ATLANTA, May 19 -- In a national survey conducted by the well-respected product-consulting firm AutoPacific, new car owners chose the Porsche 911 model line as the most satisfying Premium Sports Car, winning the Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) in a competitive field that includes some the world's most renowned nameplates.

Just as importantly, in the same survey, auto buyers overwhelming selected the entire Porsche brand as the one they would recommend most to their friends and family. This very coveted award demonstrates the passion and devotion owners have for their cars.

"The thing we really see is that if an owner is willing to recommend a vehicle, they are making a real commitment to it," said George Peterson, president of California based AutoPacific.

Porsche had the highest most-recommended score, with 91 percent of owners saying they would "definitely" recommend a car from Porsche's full-line of offerings.

In the same survey, which included more than 25,000 consumers from around the nation, owners handed the 911 top honors in the highly competitive Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Premium Sports Cars. The VSA is considered an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with his or her car or light truck, and reflects the opinions of consumers nationwide.

"AutoPacific has conducted this industry research since 1997. Vehicles that score highest in AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Awards have hit the mark delivering value and satisfaction with their buyers by performing well in 48 separate categories that measure the ownership experience."

Porsche introduced a new generation 911 model series last year. All 2009 911s offer a higher level of performance with improved fuel efficiency thanks to higher displacement engines with direct fuel injection (DFI) and the new optional 7-speed double-clutch gearbox Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK), a racing-inspired technology and a Porsche first.

In addition to identifying category winners, AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Awards establish numerical satisfaction ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck in the North American market. Owner satisfaction is measured across specific areas related to a car's operation, comfort, safety and overall purchase/lease experience. The 2009 ratings reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September through December.

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and product-consulting firm. Every year it publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies on the automotive industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Its company headquarters and state-of-the-art automotive research facility are in Tustin, California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area.