May 13, 2009

Porsche, Maybach Score Big With the Wealthy

The wealthy are often reputed to be persons with discriminating taste. At the very least, they see themselves that way. So which auto brands do wealthy consumers find most prestigious? The Luxury Institute went on a mission to find out, and its 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey revealed that Porsche topped the “luxury automobile” category, and Maybach scored highest in the “ultra-luxury automobile” category. The survey is designed to identify the top brands that exhibit “true luxury.” The brands are evaluated in numerous categories based solely on the unbiased ratings of wealthy and ultra-wealthy consumers.

When it came to deciding which brands deliver the best combination of quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige, high-net-worth consumers rated Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus the best of the best among the 12 brands that rated in the luxury category. On a scale of 1-10 Porsche rated 7.70; Mercedes-Benz 7.53 and Lexus 7.39. In the ultra-luxury category, ultra-wealthy consumers rated Maybach, Roll-Royce and Bentley the three most prestigious among 12 brands. The major surprise in the survey was that Maybach out-pointed Rolls-Royce and Bentley, two brands with longer, more illustrious histories. Maybach’s index was 7.93, Rolls-Royce was rated at 7.86 and Bentley scored a 7.73.

The LBSI asked high-net-worth consumers to rate luxury brands by category across four equally weighted components: consistently superior quality, uniqueness and exclusivity, making the customer feel special across the entire experience and being consumed by people who are admired and respected.

For the luxury auto survey, a national sample of 1,505 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $278,000 and average net worth of $2.5 million, was surveyed online. For the ultra-luxury survey, a national sample of 1,013 ultra-wealthy American consumers with an average income of $489,000 and average investable assets of $6.8 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. Needless to say, the Driving Today editorial staff did not participate in the survey.