I'd like to know which morons participated in this survey.

I just finished reading through two Mercedes Classic magazines I have at home. History, tradition, innovation, global appeal, motorsport etc., you name it. Mercedes has it all. When I read and look through those magazines I feel an emotional connection to the brand and its achievements.

So what the hell is Lexus doing in second place? No offense to the Lexus fans here, but as someone who appreciates history, Lexus has NOTHING. To me brand prestige is built through history, motorsport, innovation, classic cars and not by rebadging Toyotas and selling them for cheaper prices.

I need to vent here: THIS IS BULLSH*T.


Ok, I've had a bad day too...



Link: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER


Luxury Institute Survey: Wealthy U.S. Consumers Rate Most Prestigious Luxury Automobile Brands: Porsche, Lexus and Mercedes
Wednesday May 7, 11:00 am ET

NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--May 7, 2008 -- High net-worth consumers rated Porsche the most prestigious luxury automobile in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey from the independent New York City-based Luxury Institute ( - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER). Respondents who would recommend Porsche say, "They are world-class sports cars for the true connoisseur," and, "They have a good reputation for performance." Lexus and Mercedes ranked second and third respectively.

"In a world ridden with blatant commercial bias, the Luxury Institute's surveys are impartial and objective," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "We conduct our surveys with independent panels of wealthy consumers with results tabulated by external analytical firms. We have no consulting projects with the brands rated nor do we have advertising dependencies with them. As far as we are aware, this is the only consumer-based survey that can make those claims. Our surveys inform luxury CEOs on the health of their brands in no uncertain terms so they can take action to enhance relationships with prospects and customers. Today more luxury brands rely on the accuracy of the Luxury Institute's survey data than any other research."

Following are the 12 luxury automobile brands that were rated (alphabetical order):


1. Acura
2. Audi
3. BMW
4. Cadillac
5. Infiniti
6. Jaguar
7. Land Rover
8. Lexus
9. Lincoln
10. Mercedes
11. Porsche
12. Volvo

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 1,642 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $349K and average net-worth of $3.7 million, was surveyed online. Survey results are weighted to match demographic and net worth profiles of the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from The Federal Reserve.

About the Luxury Institute

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings, reviews and research institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research that guides and educates high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the Luxury Board ( - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER), the world's first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. To reach the Luxury Institute, please call 646-792-2669 or go to - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

^Truth is Chris, history and tradition has little to do with it -- other than being useful as part of a marketing strategy. It is all about perceptions of prestige and quality -- this is really a marketing survey ...not necessarily a direct reflection of the product.

American consumers are a peculiar group. For what is supposedly the most sophisitcated consumer market, they can't even pick up that Lexus and Toyota are crossbred.

Lexus wouldn't rank so highly in most international markets and this survey is not globally applicable. There’s something awry over in the US.

I think you are misinterpreting the results Rob. That list is alphabetical.

^ Sorry ....Im tired .......and slightly retarded.

That makes it two of us

LOL no excuse!

This is easy, Lexus is prestigious to those who don't know what prestige is.

M

Damn right!

hmm ....Bruce might not like that

Interesting comment Marcus, in that it makes the [fair] assumption that prestige is some kind of indisputable universal truth existing beyond conjecture -- but it isn't.

so, I think it is worth asking: what is prestige?