2010 New Car Buying Guides Help Buyers Choose the Right Vehicle

SALT LAKE CITY February 17, 2010; Vehix is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, is an automotive shopping and research site, which recently released its 2010 New Car Buying Guides featuring JDPower.com Power Circle Ratings to help car buyers select the right vehicle for their needs.

“This is a great time to buy a new car. But choosing the right vehicle can be overwhelming”

The 2010 New Car Buying Guides cover all major vehicle categories from convertibles to hybrids to SUVs. Overviews and photos of 66 vehicles are included in the category guides.

“This is a great time to buy a new car. But choosing the right vehicle can be overwhelming,” says Derek J. Mattsson, CEO of Vehix. “Vehix new car buying guides focus on the best of the best in each category to narrow buyers’ choices to proven and reliable vehicles.”

All vehicles in the 2010 guides are based on JDPower.com Power Circle Ratings and received recognition in at least one of four categories:

Initial Quality – Taken from the Initial Quality Study (IQS), which looks at owner-reported problems in the first 90 days of new-vehicle ownership, this score is based on problems that have caused a complete breakdown or malfunction, or where controls or features may work as designed, but are difficult to use or understand.
Performance and Design – Taken from the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study, this measure is based on owner satisfaction with vehicle Performance, Style, Features and Instrument Panel, and Comfort.
Overall Dependability – Taken from the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which looks at owner-reported problems in the first 3 years of new-vehicle ownership, this score is based on problems that have caused a complete breakdown or malfunction of any component, feature, or item (i.e., components that stop working or trim pieces that break or become loose).
Predicted Reliability – Derived from historical trending for a vehicle and/or manufacturer in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality and Vehicle Dependability Studies, Predicted Reliability is a forecast of how reliable a newer vehicle might be over time.

JDPower.com Power Circle Ratings are based on the most important critics—verified owners. These owners provide their feedback through a detailed questionnaire from J.D. Power’s industry benchmark syndicated quality and customer satisfaction studies, which are used by the automotive industry to improve their performance.

“The Vehix category buying guides present JDPower.com’s Power Circle Ratings data in a way that is useful and meaningful to consumers,” said Peter Marlow, vice president of corporate communications and marketing at J.D. Power and Associates. “We are pleased to team with Vehix to present information in a way that gives consumers the relevant information they want, when they want it.”

About Vehix

Vehix delivers a one-stop automotive shopping experience. Vehix.com offers local new and used car listings, vehicle reviews, informative articles and videos, and best-in-class research tools. The company’s car research and shopping tools are available on the Internet, video-on-demand, and on mobile devices. Vehix is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Learn more at www.vehix.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.