AA Safety, Environmental and Satisfaction Awards

Media Release: 3 March 2006

AA Announces Motoring Excellence Safety, Environmental and Customer Satisfaction Awards

The category winners of the remaining three 2006 AA Motoring Excellence Awards have just been announced in Auckland tonight:

• The GE Money Safest Car Award
• Vodafone Environmental Award
• JD Power & Associates Customer Satisfaction Award

Stella Stocks, General Manager of AA Technical Services, says the AA Motoring Excellence Awards aim to identify and reward excellence amongst new vehicles and in areas of concern to motorists. The Awards are being announced at a prestigious black tie dinner in Auckland tonight.

The GE Money Safest Car Award went to the Citroen C5 2 litre HDI.

Ms Stocks said vehicle safety is becoming ever more important in the purchasing decisions of consumers. In deciding the format of testing for this Award, the AA looked at results from NCAP test programmes in Europe and Australia. The overriding factor in determining the winner of this highly prestigious Award was that the actual vehicle tested, and deemed to score the highest points rating, was available for sale to the public in New Zealand at the time of nominations.

“The Citroen C5 2 litre HDI got the nod from the ANCAP technical committee, which includes Land Transport New Zealand and the New Zealand AA’s Technical department. Wherever the vehicle was crash tested, it must have been to New Zealand spec to qualify for this award.”

The Vodafone Environmental Award went to Hyundai.

Ms Stocks said broad criteria were considered when evaluating a worthy winner of the Environmental Award. The Award recognises a motor vehicle distributor who has shown initiative not only in promoting their own product range in an environmentally friendly way, but also in actively promoting the use of an alternative future fuel / power source solely in the New Zealand market.

“Hyundai has added ethanol blended petrol to their vehicles well in excess of current recommendations and have also fuelled the majority of their press vehicles with 10% ethanol blended petrol since October 2005.”

The JD Power & Associates Customer Satisfaction Award went to Honda.

Ms Stocks said over 15,000 AA Members responded to an AA online survey.

“Questions covered overall experience with vehicles bought new or used, including used imports and all makes and models available to the New Zealand public. Data was also collated on sales and service experiences – and the winner was Honda.”

The AA will announce the AA Supreme Award for Motoring Excellence at 9.50pm tonight.

ends

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