AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen, General Motors and Toyota (including its Lexus Division) have the greatest number of new vehicle models that consumers consider to be "most appealing," according to the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution And Layout (APEAL) Study(SM) released today. The study is based on responses from nearly 88,000 new-vehicle owners and measures what excites and delights owners (or "things gone right") with their new-vehicle's features and design.

Volkswagen's Jetta, GTI, Passat and Beetle rank highest in their individual car segments, while the BMW 3 Series and 7 Series capture the entry luxury and premium luxury segments, respectively. The Chevrolet Corvette tops the premium sports car segment.

Among trucks, Toyota, Lexus and Honda models sweep the popular SUV segments. The Honda CR-V captures the mini-SUV segment, while the Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser top the compact and full-size SUV segments, respectively. The Lexus LX 470 ranks highest among luxury SUVs.

General Motors' new truck entries, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, capture the top two positions in the high-volume, full-size pickup segment. The GMC Savana ranks highest among full-size vans.

In addition, the Dodge Dakota continues its dominance in the compact pickup segment, ranking highest for the third year in a row. The newly redesigned Honda Odyssey is the top performer in the compact van segment.

"Although new and redesigned vehicles tend to stand out from other models, our trend data shows that this phenomenon is decreasing," said Jacques daCosta, senior manager of product research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Successful new model launches will be those that attract consumers with a balance of innovative styling, new technologies, vehicle performance, and interior and safety features."

The 1999 APEAL study comprises eight specific areas of vehicle performance and design, including more than 100 attributes that uncover what consumers like and dislike about their new vehicles. These areas include Vehicle Styling; Engine and Powertrain; Comfort and Convenience; Ride and Handling; Seats; Heating, Cooling and Ventilation; Cockpit and Instrument Panel; and Sound System.

Headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on actual customer responses from more than one million consumers annually.

J.D. Power and Associates can be accessed through the World Wide Web at www.jdpower.com. Media e-mail contact: matthew.scroggs@jdpower.com. This press release is provided for editorial use only.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates.

Top Three Models in 15 Major Categories

Compact

Most Appealing: VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

Volkswagen Golf

Plymouth Neon (2000)

Entry Midsize

Most Appealing: VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

Pontiac Grand Am

Daewoo Leganza

Premium Midsize

Most Appealing: VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

Pontiac Grand Prix

Toyota Avalon

Sporty Car

Most Appealing: VOLKSWAGEN GTI

Honda Prelude

Pontiac Firebird

Premium Sports Car

Most Appealing: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Porsche 911

Porsche Boxster

Entry Luxury

Most Appealing: BMW 3 SERIES

Saab 9-5

Chrysler 300M

Premium Luxury

Most Appealing: BMW 7 SERIES

Lexus LS 400

BMW 5 Series

Compact Pickup

Most Appealing: DODGE DAKOTA

Toyota Tacoma

GMC Sonoma

Full-size Pickup

Most Appealing: CHEVROLET SILVERADO

GMC Sierra

Ford F-250 Super Duty

Mini SUV

Most Appealing: HONDA CR-V

Toyota RAV4

Subaru Forester

Compact SUV

Most Appealing: TOYOTA 4RUNNER

Dodge Durango

GMC Envoy

Full-size SUV

Most Appealing: TOYOTA LAND CRUISER

GMC Yukon/Yukon Denali

Ford Expedition

Luxury SUV

Most Appealing: LEXUS LX 470

Lexus RX 300

Land Rover Range Rover

Compact Van

Most Appealing: HONDA ODYSSEY

Toyota Sienna

Pontiac Montana

Full-size Van

Most Appealing: GMC SAVANA

Chevrolet Express

Ford Econoline

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout -- APEAL Study(SM)

Charts and graphs extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power and Associates as the publisher and the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout -- APEAL Study(SM) as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates.

                J.D. Power and Associates 1999 APEAL Study(SM)
                        America's Most Appealing Cars

    Segment and Award Recipient              Highest Rated Features

    Most Appealing Compact Car:              -- Unique styling
    Volkswagen Beetle                        -- Driver's headroom
                                             -- Overall styling

    Most Appealing Entry Mid-Size Car:       -- Illumination of instrument
    Volkswagen Jetta                            controls
                                             -- Driver's visibility
                                             -- Rear styling

    Most Appealing Premium Mid-Size Car:     -- Illumination of instrument
    Volkswagen Passat                           controls
                                             -- Driver's headroom
                                             -- Unique styling

    Most Appealing Sporty Car:               -- Driver's visibility
    Volkswagen GTI                           -- Comfortable driving position
                                             -- Driver's headroom

    Most Appealing Premium Sports Car:       -- Storage Space
    Chevrolet Corvette                       -- Driving Range
                                             -- Driver's Comfort

    Most Appealing Entry Luxury Car:         -- Convenience of cupholders
    BMW 3 Series                             -- Front styling
                                             -- Smooth engine performance

    Most Appealing Premium Luxury Car:       -- Rear passenger space and
    BMW 7 Series                                comfort

-- Driver's visibility

-- Sound system controls

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution And Layout (APEAL) Study(SM)

Charts and graphs extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power and Associates as the publisher and the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout APEAL Study(SM) as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates.

                J.D. Power and Associates 1999 APEAL Study(SM)
                       America's Most Appealing Trucks

    Segment and Award Recipient              Highest Rated Features

    Most Appealing Compact Pickup:           -- Convenience of cupholders
    Dodge Dakota                             -- Storage Space
                                             -- Convenience of controls

    Most Appealing Full-Size Pickup:         -- Rear passenger space and
    Chevrolet Silverado                         comfort
                                             -- Fuel economy and driving range
                                             -- Engine performance

    Most Appealing Mini Sport Utility:       -- Rear passenger space and
    Honda CR-V                                  comfort
                                             -- Convenience of cupholders
                                             -- Useful cargo space

    Most Appealing Compact Sport Utility:    -- Smoothness of transmission
    Toyota 4Runner                              shifts
                                             -- Rear passenger space
                                             -- Smooth, quiet engine
                                                performance

    Most Appealing Full-Size Sport Utility:  -- Smooth, quiet engine
    Toyota Land Cruiser                         performance
                                             -- Ride quietness
                                             -- Handling stability

    Most Appealing Luxury Sport Utility:     -- Smooth engine performance
    Lexus LX 470                             -- 2WD/4WD ride and handling
                                             -- Quietness during highway
                                                driving

    Most Appealing Compact Van:              -- Versatility of 2nd and 3rd row
    Honda Odyssey                               seats
                                             -- Useful cargo space
                                             -- Smooth, powerful engine

    Most Appealing Full-Size Van:            -- Storage space
    GMC Savana                               -- Comfort of 3rd row seats

-- Effectiveness of rear air

conditioning

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution And Layout (APEAL) Study(SM)

Charts and graphs extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power and Associates as the publisher and the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout APEAL Study(SM) as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates