This year's J.D. Power APEAL (automotive performance, execution and layout) Study results put Porsche ranking highest among the premium brands, Dodge on top for mass market brands, and General Motors taking home the most vehicle segment-level awards. The study showed the "new vehicles are more appealing than ever" with some very successful launches for 2021. 

For example, the BMW 4 Series, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Genesis G80, Kia K5 and Toyota Sienna are all-new or completely redesigned models that achieved segment-topping performances in the study, and helped to ramp up the auto industry's overall vehicle emotional appeal this year. 

"One of the biggest factors driving the industry's improvement this year is the introduction of several highly appealing new models," said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power, in a news release.  

"The APEAL Study measures owners' emotional attachment to their new vehicle, and the product launches that took place this model year have done a really good job. Some are all-new and some are redesigns, but the new launches demonstrate that automakers are getting even better at hitting buyers' emotional triggers."

Taking a look at the highest-ranking brands this year, Porsche is tops among premium brands and ties Dodge overall with a score of 882. Second up were Genesis and Land Rover, both at 879. Genesis was up four places year-over-year. 

For mass-market brands, Dodge was the winner with the aformentioned score of 882, followed by Ram (881) and Nissan (866). Toyota might be a brand to watch next year, as it is the biggest gainer in the mass-market rankings, placing five spots up from 2020. 

J.D. Power analysts explained that mass market brands are continuing to increase in emotional appeal, even though premium brands continue to "outscore" them in the study at hand. The gap continue to narrow this year, J.D. Power pointed out. Specifically, the 19-point gap in score this year is down from a 23-point score last year.

Moving along to cover the model-level APEAL awards, General Motors took the win with five awards, followed by BMW AG with four, and Hyundai Motor Group and Nissan Motor Co. coming in third with three awards each. 

The complete list of award recipients from J.D. Power is as follows: 

• General Motors Company: Cadillac CT5, Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Sierra HD
• BMW AG: BMW 4 Series, BMW X4, BMW X6, and BMW X7
• Hyundai Motor Group: Genesis G80, Kia K5, and Kia Telluride
• Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.: Nissan Maxima, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa
• Ford Motor Company: Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Mustang Mach-E
• Daimler AG: Mercedes-Benz CLA
• Honda Motor Company: Honda Ridgeline
• Jaguar Land Rover Limited: Land Rover Defender
• Stellantis NV: Ram 1500
• Toyota Motor Corporation: Toyota Sienna
• Volvo Motor Corporation: Volvo XC40

The APEAL study measures owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle on a 1,000-point scale. It asks owners to consider 37 attributes, ranging from the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver's seat to the exhilaration they get when they step on the accelerator.

The 2021 U.S. APEAL Study is based on responses from 110,827 owners of new 2021 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded from February through July 2021.