SUBARU COLLECTS BEVY OF AWARDS AT CHICAGO AUTO SHOW

Bolstering its tremendous seven-year sales growth, Subaru’s product line-up is also receiving strong recognition: at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show the company collected no less than four separate awards for its products. 

Subaru won the 2015 Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own Award for the Brand category. These awards are based on Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars for the initial five-year ownership period. 

Motorweek awarded the all-new 2015 Legacy its Drivers' Choice Award for Best Family Sedan. Each year, MotorWeek editorial staff selects the best models in a variety of lifestyle categories ranging from family sedan to luxury car, to large utilities and pickups. From that group, an overall best of the year is chosen. 

U.S. News and World Report gave Subaru its 2015 Best Wagon for the Money award for the best-selling Outback. To find the award winners, U.S. News combines the average price paid from TrueCar, Inc. and five-year total cost of ownership data from Vincentric, LLC with their rankings data. The U.S. News rankings are based on the opinion of the automotive press about a car's performance, interior features and interior comfort, along with reliability and safety ratings.

Consumer Guide® Automotive awarded the Subaru BRZ with a “Best Buy Award” in the Sporty/Performance Car category. This is the second consecutive win for the BRZ in the category. Editors of Consumer Guide® Automotive test drive more than 150 new vehicles each year and select the top ones in each class as Best Buys. A vehicle does not become a Best Buy based solely on objective ratings; it also has to distinguish itself as being a good dollar value compared to others in the class.

The awards given to the Legacy model in particular cap a strong launch for the all-new 2015 model which has earned attention from media writers for its much improved interior, entertainment and connectivity, as well as improved ride and handling. Further to its status as an IIHS Top Safety Pick, Legacy was also named "Best Car to Buy 2015" By The Car Connection and “Best New/Redesigned Car $25,000-$30,000” in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Top Picks for 2015.

In January 2015, Subaru recorded a 24 percent increase over January 2014. These results continue the company’s sales momentum from 2014 where Subaru achieved six consecutive years of record sales and exceeded 500,000 annual sales – a first in company history. 

All seven 2015 Subaru models have Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awards – two with Top Safety Pick and five with Top Safety Pick+ including the Forester, Legacy, Outback, Impreza, and XV Crosstrek, when equipped with optional EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology. In January, Subaru also earned Kelley Blue Book’s prestigious 2015 Best Resale Value Brand Award and three vehicle segment awards – Compact Car Category: 2015 Subaru Impreza; Sporty Compact Car Category: 2015 Subaru WRX; and Mid-Size Car Category: 2015 Subaru Legacy. 

2014 SUBARU FORESTER ACES TOUGH NEW CRASH TEST; EARNS NEW IIHS 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK+ RATING

• All-new The 2014 Subaru Forester is the first vehicle to ace every aspect of the challenging small overlap front crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 

• Forester is also the only small SUVs to earn an overall rating of good in the test

Cherry Hill, N.J., -  Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that the all-new 2014 Forester has received a Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2014 Subaru Forester is the first vehicle to ace every aspect of the challenging small overlap front crash test conducted by the IIHS. The Forester is the only one of 13 small SUVs to earn an overall rating of good in the test. This is not the first time that the Forester has stood out in a new IIHS crash test. When the Institute first rated small SUVs for side protection in 2003, the Subaru model performed the best and was one of only two vehicles to earn good ratings.

“With the redesigned Forester, Subaru’s engineers set out to do well in our new test, and they succeeded,” says Joe Nolan, the Institute’s vice president for vehicle research. “This is exactly how we hoped manufacturers would respond to improve protection for people in these kinds of serious frontal crashes.”

This award builds on Subaru’s safety reputation and is the first IIHS designation for 2014 model year Subaru vehicles. Subaru is the only manufacturer with 2013 IIHS Top Safety Pick for all models and the only brand with IIHS Top Safety Picks for all models for four years running (2010-2013). The 2014 Forester is the third Subaru vehicle to earn the TSP+ award. The 2013 Subaru Legacy and Subaru Outback (built after August 2012) were awarded the Institute’s 2013 TSP+ designation in late-2012. The award requires a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating in the Institute’s new small overlap frontal crash test in addition to meeting the base “TSP” award criteria.

"Safety is one of our brand tenets and so we are extremely proud to have earned a TSP+ rating for Forester and a third Top Safety Pick + rating for our brand," said Thomas J. Doll, president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. “The Forester is the most award winning small SUV in America and now we have another designation for this venerable vehicle.”

About IIHS
The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of a moderate overlap frontal and small overlap crash test. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.

Building on its long-running vehicle ratings program for consumer information, IIHS introduced the small overlap test in 2012 to further improve occupant protection in frontal crashes. Most automakers design their vehicles for good performance in the IIHS moderate overlap frontal test and the federal government’s full-width frontal test, but many haven’t addressed the problem of small overlap crashes. In a 2009 IIHS study of vehicles with good ratings for frontal crash protection, small overlap crashes accounted for nearly a quarter of the frontal crashes involving serious or fatal injury to front seat occupants.

The small overlap test is a demanding crash that replicates what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a car’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph.

Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on 2-instrumented SID-IIs dummies representing a small (5th percentile) woman, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle's structural performance during the impact.

Kupper Subaru Earns Subaru of America 2013 Subaru Stellar Care Award

- Award Recognizes Dealer Excellence in Customer Service –

Mandan, N.D. – Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that Kupper Subaru of Mandan, N.D. joins an elite group set to receive the prestigious 2013 Subaru Stellar Care Award.

“The Subaru Stellar Care Award is earned by top ranking Subaru dealers who deliver an exceptional ownership experience to our customers,” said Bill Cyphers, senior vice president, sales for Subaru of America. “Award recipients meet the high Stellar Care benchmarks for customer satisfaction, brand representation, and operational excellence. Our brand has enjoyed record sales for the past four years and this success is in large part due to the excellence of our retail body.”

“All Subaru dealerships deliver a high quality experience to our customers,” said Cyphers. “The Stellar Care Award winners excel in the way they take care of their customers and represent the Subaru brand.”

Achieving this highly coveted award requires truly exceptional dedication and Subaru dealers must devote significant time and resources to the customer experience throughout the year. Performance measures for the program range from participation in all customer-focused Subaru programs to maintaining a customer-friendly, inviting facility. Dealers must also achieve outstanding satisfaction scores for all key areas in Sales and Service and demonstrate outstanding performance in Customer Loyalty.

Kupper Subaru is located at 805 East Main Street in Mandan. For more information, the dealership can be contacted at 701-663-8223 or at www.kupper-subaru.com.

THE 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WINS BEST NEW CROSSOVER AWARD

Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association honors Hyundai at the 2013 Atlanta International Auto Show

ATLANTA, March 13, 2013 – Hyundai’s all-new 2013 Santa Fe was named Best New Crossover by the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA) during the press preview day at the 2013 Atlanta International Auto Show.

"For this year's Best Crossover Award, GAAMA chose the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for its handsome new design, luxurious interior, impressive technologies, accessible pricing and the flexibility for 5- and 7- passenger configurations," said GAAMA President, Davis Adams.

For 2013, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe delivers with its versatile nature, two wheelbase layouts, powerful yet efficient engine options and excellent value for money. At $28,350, buyers can have seven-passenger capability, a 290 horsepower 3.3 liter V6, Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. These attributes impressed the judges enough to earn a win as Best New Crossover for 2013.

“It’s an honor to receive the award for Best New Crossover for the 2013 Santa Fe,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, Product and Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “GAAMA is full of exceptional automotive media and this accolade proves that the all-new Santa Fe has what it takes to succeed in a very competitive market.”

Determined by a panel of judges consisting of automotive journalists from around the southern United States, the GAAMA awards take into account all-new vehicles in varying categories. The show room floor is thoroughly inspected for vehicles that stand out in terms of value, performance, innovation and features. With the objective to further professionalism within all aspects of the automotive media, GAAMA brings together journalists, manufactures, dealers and other related automotive members for a connection that can enhance the automotive industry in regards to the southern United States and beyond.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

Honda Named Most Trusted Brand, Best Value Brand and Best Overall Brand by Thousands of New-Car Shoppers in KBB.com's 2013 Brand Image Awards

03/25/2013 - TORRANCE, Calif

New-car shoppers have once again recognized the Honda brand as the 'Most Trusted Brand' and 'Best Value Brand' in Kelley Blue Book's 2013 Brand Image Award study. This is the second year Honda was named the 'Most Trusted Brand' and the third consecutive year as the 'Best Value Brand'. Additionally, Honda captured the top honor of 'Best Overall Non-Luxury Brand,' thus receiving more awards than any other brand in the 2013 Kelley Blue Book study.

"We are honored to be recognized by American car buyers for two tenets of the Honda brand: trust and value," said Mike Accavitti, vice president of national marketing operations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "These awards demonstrate how customers recognize the tremendous quality and value of our products, reflecting the incredible competitive strength of the Honda brand."

The 2013 Brand Image Awards are based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence's Brand Watch™ study. Brand Watch taps into more than 12,000 in-market new-vehicle shoppers annually on Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. The Brand Watch study offers insight into in-market new-vehicle shoppers' perceptions of brands, including important factors driving their purchase decisions while they are in the midst of the shopping process.  Honda was named 'Best Overall Non-Luxury Brand' by securing the highest average score across ratings of all non-luxury models, and the weight of importance of each of the factors in the study.

"Honda was named Best Overall Brand by non-luxury shoppers, which speaks to Honda's stellar reputation and brand leadership in the minds of consumers," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst, Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. "In addition, Honda was awarded Most Trusted Brand for the second year in a row, and Best Value Brand for the third year running. Receiving consecutive awards in key categories like 'Trust' and 'Value' demonstrates the positive attributes of the Honda brand continue to resonate with the new-car buying public."

Additional comments from the Editors of Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com regarding Honda's Brand Image Award Wins:

2013 Honda - Best Value Brand
"Affordability, reliability and good resale value are key facets of new-car value, and Honda scores at or near the top in all three, earning from KBB.com visitors another Best Value Brand award."

2013 Honda - Most Trusted Brand
"This is the second year we've asked visitors to name their Most Trusted Brand, and it's the second year in a row they've named Honda.  With a reputation that precedes it and vehicles that seemingly never fail to deliver on the promise, Honda is like the perpetual motion machine of brand trust."

2013 Honda – Brand Image Awards: Best Overall Brand
"We saved the biggest award for last, but after its wins in the Best Value Brand and Most Trusted Brand categories, Honda's win as Best Overall Brand among non-luxury shoppers hardly comes as a surprise.  We admire the refined and reliable vehicles, but also the manner in which Honda promotes itself.  You do too, apparently."

About Honda
Honda offers a complete lineup of cars and trucks through a network of more than 1,000 dealerships in the United States. In 2013, Honda marks 40 years of the Civic model, with more than 30 years of producing automobiles in the region, which began with the Accord in Marysville, Ohio in November 1982. Having produced more than 25 million vehicles in North America through 2012 using domestic and globally sourced parts, Honda currently operates 14 major manufacturing facilities in North America, producing a wide range of Honda automobiles, all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, engines and transmissions.