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Porsche tops JD Power APEAL study for 12th time

JD Power's 2016 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) study hasn't changed much this time around with Porsche coming in at No.1 for the 12th consecutive year, while BMW was close behind in second. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz tied for third with Land Rover, Lexus, and Lincoln tied for No.5. The APEAL Study, according to JD Power, measures owners' level of excitement and emotional attachment across 77 parameters. Brands and cars are rated on a 1,000-point scale. The study found that new cars with modern safety features including low speed collision avoidance and blind spot monitoring have higher APEAL scores than vehicles without the features. The overall industry score increased from 798 to 801, which JD Power claims was helped by the launch of a variety of new vehicles. This year, 22 out of 30 new or redesigned cars received a higher score than the vehicle's respective segment average. Porsche is once again at the top of the list as the automaker's score increased by three points to 877. BMW outscored Jaguar to take second place with a score of 859, while the British automaker dropped three points from last year with 852 points. Volkswagen overtook Mini to become the top-ranked non-premium brand with 809 points, while the latter automaker trailed behind by one point. At the end of the scale, Smart came in at the very bottom for the second year in a row with a score of 745 points, which represents an increase of 62 points over last year. Fiat's score increased by six points to 755, but still confined the automaker to second-to-worst place for a consecutive year. Mitsubishi's score increased to 770, up from 755, to become the fourth-worst brand, while Jeep fell to third-worst with a decrease in seven points to 756. General Motors received six segment-level awards, followed by Hyundai with five, and BMW and VW earning four apiece. Surprise segment victories include the Chevrolet Camaro, which outscored the Dodge Challenger, and the Lexus RC which ranked above the BMW 4 and 3 Series. For more information on how the automakers ranked, check out the official release on the 2016 APEAL Study below or visit JD Power's website to analyze the graphs. Related Video: Porsche Ranks Highest in APEAL for 12th Consecutive Year; General Motors Receives Six Segment-Level Awards, Hyundai Motor Company Receives Five DETROIT: 27 July 2016 — Popular driver-assist technologies help make vehicles considerably more appealing to their owners, according to the J.D.

Mercedes-Petronas AMG W04 launched to little fanfare, lots of pressure [w/video]

No indoor cocktail hour for the launch of the W04, the newest chassis built by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team. Instead, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton spent a morning in photo and video sessions at the track in Jerez, Spain then paused a moment to introduce the car. The team will want the W04 to demonstrate the World Championship credentials of the team personnel and one of the team drivers, instead of the mostly humble performances we've seen over the past three years.
The W04 has been fitted with a new five-element front wing, pushrod front and pull-rod rear suspension, a second-generation Coanda exhaust and an "aggressively packaged" rear end. A small vanity panel, à la Infiniti Red Bull's RB9, covers the stepped nose.
Team principal Ross Brawn has called it "a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication," but as much as we truly respect Brawn's abilities and achievements, we heard him say similar things about the updated W03 last year before almost every race weekend from about mid-season. We really hope he's right this time, and so does the team's newest driver, Lewis Hamilton. We'll do our best to ignore the parallels of the Mercedes F1 team having signed a sponsorship deal with Blackberry, another company trying to find its way back to the top and still struggling, and just point you to the video below of the W04 in action.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 'bleeding seat' problem resurfaces [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We received the following statement from Mercedes-Benz: "In rare instances, we incorrectly ordered some of the replacement parts for the seating surfaces. The approved replacement parts will not demonstrate the previous symptoms." It appears Mercedes-Benz has another problem with "bleeding seats" in 2015 C-Class sedans. As we reported in January, an oily residue has been appearing on some versions of the C-Class with man-made MB Tex upholstery, making it look as though the seats were grimy or "bleeding." Mercedes issued a technical service bulletin to its dealers to remedy the problem, but now we're hearing the fix isn't complete. Small parts of the seats – the rear bolsters and a piece below the center armrest – weren't replaced during service and then developed the oily reside again, a source tells us. This occurred within a few days of their service appointment. The dealer followed Mercedes' instructions, our source said, and their C-Class appears to have been one of the first cars fixed. "I'm absolutely flabbergasted at this point ... The new C-Class is such a good car. This is just a shame," they told Autoblog. The bleeding seat issue appears to affect US-built C-Class models with the MB Tex vinyl and possibly other interiors. The bleeding often occurs when a car has been sitting in the cold and then heats up quickly. The number of cars affected is unclear, though the C-Class owners have been vocal in the MBWorld.org forum. At the time of our original report, Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz USA, said it was aware of the issue and that no injuries had been reported. The residue usually washes off with soap and water. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had no recalls, complaints or investigations recorded about the issue as of Wednesday. The fix at the dealer involves changing out the headrest and seat covers, except for a part of the passenger seat that needs to be calibrated by the factory, according to the bulletin. The C-Class is a critical car for Mercedes as it battles BMW, Lexus and others for supremacy in the ultra-competitive luxury segment. The C-Class, which launched last fall, is moving upmarket as Mercedes reshuffles its lineup with the addition of the CLA sedan. The C-Class was the company's best-selling model in January with volume of 6,236 units.