Genesis beats BMW, Mercedes-Benz in JD Power APEAL ratings

Hyundai\'s newly formed luxury brand landed in the second spot, but Porsche retained the lead for the 13th consecutive year.

Hyundai's newly formed Genesis brand has entered JD Power's Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study in the second spot, while Porsche retained the crown for the 13th consecutive year.

The research firm says industry average APEAL scores increased to 810 points (on a 1,000-point scale) thanks to significant improvements in nearly every vehicle category and improved performance from 19 of the 32 brands included in the study.

The APEAL rankings gauge owners' "emotional attachment and level of excitement" across 77 different attributes, such as power and sense of comfort or luxury. JD Power suggests the gap has continued to narrow between mass-market and luxury brands, now separated by an all-time narrow margin of just 41 points.

Genesis received a score of 869, just 15 points below Porsche. The top five also includes established players BMW (855), Audi (854) and Mercedes-Benz (851), while Lincoln and Cadillac hold the sixth and seven spots, respectively.

Mitsubishi received the lowest score of 750, just two points below Fiat and 23 points behind Jeep. Other brands below the industry average include Volkswagen, Kia, Subaru, Hyundai and Toyota, among others.

"Manufacturers are making ever-higher quality vehicles, but this is not coming at the expense of performance, styling, utility or features," says JD Power vice president Dave Sargent.