Tesla Model X, Genesis G90 among the Most Loved Vehicles of 2017, from Strategic Vision

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--What is Love? Every brand wants to be loved by their customers. The challenge is in how to understand Love, and just as important, how to measure it. Strategic Vision has spent the past forty years developing metrics that quantify emotion, culminating in The Edwards Commitment Scale® which captures emotional responses ranging from "I hate it" to "I love it," with “Satisfied” as the middle. “By using a scale that incorporates the natural language of the customer we have the best tool to predict future behavior when it comes to advocacy, loyalty and sales,” reports Alexander Edwards, President of Strategic Vision. Integrated into Strategic Vision's New Vehicle Experience Study (NVES), this scale becomes the key factor in the Customer Love Index™ (CLI) used to identify the Most Loved Vehicles in each segment.

At the top of those findings for 2017 is the Tesla Model X as The Most Loved Vehicle in America. The Model X creates considerable Love across many aspects of the vehicle experience, from power and performance to human-machine-interface (HMI) and driver assistance features, on top of perceived environmental friendliness. The individuality and prestige of the Model X compliment the sense of power that comes from driving one to create an exciting luxury vehicle that owners are proud to call their own.

BMW is the Most Loved luxury brand in 2017, delivering on both performance and workmanship expected of the make and creating strong advocacy and loyalty intention for the brand. Coming in close behind BMW and ahead of Lexus is the emerging luxury brand Genesis. The Genesis G90 is the Most Loved Luxury Car of the year, and the new brand presents a significant challenge to established luxury players. The current Genesis vehicles deliver a product and emotional experience comparable to BMW, at a much stronger perceived value with warranty coverage and level of standard equipment their owners love. “Luxury” is defined by more than just the vehicle itself, making a comparable sales and service experience critical for Genesis to complement its strong products and increase overall advocacy and loyalty.

However, true Love isn’t reserved only for the luxury brands. On the truck side, the Japanese manufacturers have delivered Standard and Full-Size Pickups that their owners truly love, with Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tundra being the Most Loved Vehicles in their respective segments. Any lingering doubts about the ability of Japanese manufacturers’ to produce Loveworthy pickups should be dismissed by the owner response to these trucks. Ridgeline offers comfort through overall quietness inside a truck that is easy to access and use. Tundra builds Love with a truck sized and styled to convey durability and a roomy, easily accessed second row of seating.

Volkswagen may be showing the early signs of a recovery in consideration after its earlier diesel emissions troubles. VW Loyalty Intention has moved closer to the Industry average (39% vs 41%) compared to being under-water last year. VW products continue to create strong positive emotional experiences for owners. Time and efforts to improve brand trustworthiness may make it easier for those owners to remain with the vehicles they Love.

Here is the full list of 2017 Most Loved Vehicle Award winners:

Small Car	Mitsubishi Lancer	450
Small Multi-Function Car	Honda Civic Hatchback	438
Small Alternative Powertrain (APT) Car	Ford C-MAX Energi	380
Mid-Size Car	Subaru Impreza Sedan	481
Mid-Size APT Car	Ford Fusion Plug-in	474
Full-Size Car	Dodge Charger	559
Near-Luxury Car	BMW 3-Series Sedan	513
Luxury Car	Genesis G90	543
Specialty Coupe	MINI Cooper 4-Door Hardtop	586
Premium Coupe	Chevrolet Corvette Coupe	603
Standard Convertible	Chevrolet Camaro Convertible	514
Premium Convertible/Roadster	Chevrolet Corvette Convertible	644
Standard Pickup	Honda Ridgeline	368
Full-Size Pickup	Toyota Tundra	447
Heavy Duty Pickup	Ford F-250/350	443
Entry CUV	Nissan Juke	469
Mid-Size SUV	Toyota 4Runner	418
Mid-Size CUV	Kia Sorento / Nissan Murano (TIE)	403
Full-Size Utility	Nissan Armada	475
Near-Luxury Utility	Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 5-Door	495
Luxury SUV	Lexus GX	522
Luxury CUV	Porsche Macan	580
Minivan	Honda Odyssey	352
Best Model	Tesla Model X	662
Best Brand Under $26,000	Volkswagen	397
Best Mass-Market Brand	Subaru	425
Best Luxury Brand	BMW	488
Best Full-Line Corporation	Volkswagen Group of America	430

Strategic Vision’s Customer Love Index (CLI) is based on results from the New Vehicle Experience Study® surveying 34,064 new vehicle buyers who purchased in Oct. 2016 – Apr. 2017, after their first 90 days of ownership. CLI uses the Edwards Commitment Scale^® to directly measure Love in 120 different aspects of the ownership experience. These, combined with dozens of additional questions, gauge the strength and type of emotional connection buyers have with their vehicles.

Strategic Vision is a research-based consultancy with experience understanding consumers’ and constituents’ decision-making systems for a variety of Fortune 100 clients, including automotive manufacturers. Its unique expertise is using ValueCentered Psychology to identify consumers’ comprehensive, motivational hierarchies, including the product attributes, personal benefits, value/emotions, and images that drive perceptions and behaviors. For more, visit www.strategicvision.com.