Porsche tops J.D. Power US in 2019 APEAL study

The Porsche 911 is the longest-running production sports car in the world.

CONSUMER market research authority J.D. Power recently gave German sports and luxury carmaker Porsche the top spot in the 2019 APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) Study. The research firm is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data analytics. The various studies and surveys made by the firm is a good market aid for carmakers, as well as a consumer guide for car buyers, because of its insights and data on customer satisfaction, after-sales and service comparative figures, among other factors leading to customer behavior.

It’s not surprising to see Porsche on top of the study. It is a brand known for producing some of the most iconic sports cars, including — and specially — the 911, which was designed by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche (son of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche). The younger Porsche drew the initial sketches of the 911 back in 1959 to replace the Porsche 356, the brand’s first car. The 911 debuted at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, and at present is the world’s longest-running production sports car.

The brand celebrated its 70th anniversary last year; the first Porsche 356 Roadster was given an operating permit required by the German government. Since then, it has been producing high-performance cars.

Porsche also has an excellent racing pedigree. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of racecars, having produced over 300 racecars, including the RS Spyder LMP2 prototypes, 911 GT3-RSRs and GT3 Cup cars. Unlike a lot of other supercars and sports cars, Porsche owners are known to use their sports cars as daily drivers, thanks to their reliability and relatively driver-friendly layout that makes these cars easy to drive around town.

Porsche 911s are so reliable, one can take them to the track on weekends and still use them as a daily driver. 

Porsche is a popular choice for amateur GT and production sports car racing, specially with stock and slightly modified 911s, and are raced in many amateur and pro-class events globally. Porsche considers its motorsports and racing activities as an essential tool for engineering development, and its programs have led to many applications in its road-going vehicles and future racing programs. 

This particular study is a validation of this behavior and it scientifically and objectively measures car owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle across 77 attributes, ranging from the power they feel when they step on the gas, to the sense of comfort and luxury they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat.

These attributes are combined into an overall APEAL index score measured on a 1,000-point scale. This is the 24th annual installment of the study and was based on responses gathered earlier this year from nearly 68,000 car owners of 2019 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.