Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch Study Names Most Improved Marks in Luxury Sedan Segment

Study Reveals Cadillac, Audi Have Most Increased Brand Perception AmongLuxury New-Car Shoppers.

IRVINE, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ — According to Kelley Blue Book
(http://www.kbb.com) Marketing Research’s Brand Watch study, Cadillac and
Audi are the most improved in terms of brand perception over the past year
in the Luxury Sedan segment. Cadillac improved most among the factors of
driving comfort, exterior styling, interior layout/design, interior
roominess and cargo/trunk space. Audi was deemed most improved when
evaluating seating capacity, luxuriousness, available options and prestige
brand. The results are based on Brand Watch study data in the Luxury Sedan
segment from Q1 2007 to Q1 2008.

Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research’s Brand Watch Study
Most Improved: Luxury Sedan Segment from Q1 2007 to Q1 2008

CADILLAC
Cadillac’s Percent Average Percent
Attribute Change Change for Segment
Exterior Styling +10% -1%
Driving Comfort +8% -3%
Interior Layout/Design +7% -1%
Cargo/Trunk Space +4% -6%
Interior Roominess +1% -5%

AUDI
Audi’s Percent Average Percent
Attribute Change Change for Segment
Available Options +17% +1%
Luxuriousness +9% -3%
Prestige Brand +9% +0%
Seating Capacity +1% -8%

“Both Cadillac and Audi have introduced new models and significant
redesigns and, at the same time, they’ve ramped up their marketing efforts
over the past year, moving the important needle of perception up among
luxury new-car shoppers,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director
and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. “The results
of this Brand Watch study demonstrate how quickly consumers can change the
way they perceive brands when exciting new products and marketing campaigns
enter consumers’ consciousness.”

Available to vehicle manufacturers and auto industry professionals,
Brand Watch is an online brand perception tracking study tapping into
3,000+ in-market new-vehicle shoppers quarterly on kbb.com. The highly
comprehensive Brand Watch report provides a detailed look at in-market
new-vehicle shoppers’ perceptions of brands and important factors driving
their purchase decisions while in the midst of the shopping process. Brand
Watch delves into how each manufacturer’s brand equity differs across
vehicle segments, compares the relative standing of each make vs.
competitive makes, and reveals the decision factors of new-vehicle buyers
within each make and segment. Additionally, Brand Watch solicits the
opinions of in-market new vehicle shoppers on various attributes within
each vehicle segment, such as fuel efficiency, safety, driving performance,
durability/reliability, family friendliness and the “cool” factor/vehicle
image. Detailed demographic and psychographic information also is
collected, reported and detailed throughout Brand Watch’s comprehensive
study.

For Brand Watch sales inquiries on any vehicle segment or brand, please
contact Kelly Kim, director of marketing research services for Kelley Blue
Book, at 949-268-2756 or kkim@kbb.com.

About Kelley Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com/sitemap)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource(R), has provided
vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they
need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company’s top-rated Web
site, kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including
the New Car Blue Book(R) Value, which reveals what people actually are
paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values
via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue
Book(R) Official Guide. Kbb.com is rated the No. 1 automotive information
site by Nielsen//NetRatings and the most visited auto site by J.D. Power
and Associates nine years in a row. No other medium reaches more in-market
vehicle shoppers than kbb.com; nearly one in every three American car
buyers performs their research on kbb.com.

Kelley Blue Book