By Kim Da-ye
Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur and Avante won 2011 Ideal Vehicle Awards Tuesday, presented by U.S. automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific.
The Grandeur sedan, called the Azera in the U.S., won in the large passenger car category while the Avante, branded as the Elantra overseas, was named the best compact car.
Hyundai Motor, Korea’s largest automaker, also won second place after Chrysler among mainstream automakers, while Porsche was chosen as the best premium brand.
“Everyone has had the experience of wanting to change something after you’ve bought it and experienced it for a while. This is especially true of vehicles,” George Peterson, president of AutoPacific said in a statement.
“This research recognizes the vehicles that owners want to change the least. In other words, the vehicles that already match their owner’s demands.”
The awards are based on a survey of 72,000 vehicle owners who rated their new 2011 models on 15 key criteria from design, power, handling and safety features to interior roominess.
The cars that owners would change the least are the most ideal, the consultancy said. Ford Motor was the biggest winner this year with seven honors.
Hyundai recently became a staple in various awards presented by U.S. auto marketing firms.
In May, AutoPacific released the winners of its Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, which measures how satisfied an owner is with the new vehicle as opposed to how closely a vehicle matches the owner’s expectations.
Hyundai’s Genesis won the aspirational luxury category, the Sonata the premium mid-size award, the Avante the compact section and Kia Motor’s Sportage for best compact crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV).
Just a month ago, the Sonata won the 2011 Total Quality Award for mid-size cars given by U.S. consumer research firm Strategic Vision, which counted vehicles’ problems as well as the owners’ affection and satisfaction toward them.