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Porsche Wins Inaugural Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Award


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NEW YORK March 20, 2008: Kelley Blue Book announced today Porsche as a 2008 Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Award winner, garnering the award for Best Exterior Design in the Sports Car/Convertible category.

Paul Johnson, president of Kelley Blue Book, presented the award to David Pryor, vice president of Marketing for Porsche Cars North America, during an awards ceremony held during the 2008 New York International Auto Show Media Preview Days.

Kelley Blue Book set out to uncover the driving forces that power new-vehicle purchases by going to the source consumers. Over the span of one year, the organization surveyed more than 12,000 shoppers via its kbb.com Web site as part of Kelley Blue Book Market Researchs Brand Watch Study to gauge consumer automotive perceptions. The Brand Watch Study analyzes new-vehicle shoppers perceptions of brands and the factors that influence their vehicle-purchasing decisions.

With its design language Porsche has been able to pull off an incredible feat, namely, making its sports cars all look classic and contemporary at the same time, said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. That this has been accomplished by retaining a family resemblance among the Porsche models makes it all the more remarkable.

The Porsche brand, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, grows stronger with every year, said Pryor. The brands foundation is built upon the iconic 911, Boxster and Cayman silhouettes Porsche sports cars that are and always will be instantly recognizable as Porsches. We are extremely honored to receive this prestigious award from Kelley Blue Book, a company consumers know they can trust for accurate and objective vehicle information. In fact, were so proud of this award, it will be part of our New York Auto Show display for both the industry and the public days.

Porsche displayed its full line of high-performance sports cars and sport-utility vehicles at the highly popular New York International Auto Show, including the new 2008 911 GT2, Porsches top-of-the-line 530-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 911 coupe. It also unveiled at the show the new 2008 Boxster RS 60 Spyder, a 303-horsepower, mid-engine roadster inspired by the Porsche RS 60 racecar that challenged larger and more powerful competitors in the 1960s at U.S. and European tracks like Sebring, the Targa Florio and Nürburgring.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc., based in Atlanta, Ga., and Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., based in Mississauga, Ontario, are the two importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada, respectively. Each is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Combined, these two subsidiaries employ approximately 250 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for 200 U.S. and 12 Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.