Luxury Institute Survey: High Net-Worth Consumers Rank the "Best of the Best" Luxury and Ultra-Luxury Automobiles

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - April 30, 2009) - The Luxury Institute reported today the top-rated brands in the Luxury and Ultra-Luxury Automobile categories of the 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey, which identifies the top brands that exhibit true luxury in these critical categories. The brands are evaluated in numerous categories based solely on the unbiased ratings of wealthy and ultra-wealthy consumers.

Which luxury automobile brands deliver the best combination of quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige? High net-worth consumers rated Porsche, Mercedes and Lexus the "Best of the Best" among the 12 brands that were rated. In the Ultra-Luxury Automobiles category, ultra-wealthy consumers rated Maybach, Roll-Royce and Bentley the three most prestigious among 12 brands.

The LBSI asks 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.

The "Best of the Best" are: (LBSI score out of 10)
--  Luxury Automobiles
    --  Porsche-7.70
    --  Mercedes-7.53
    --  Lexus-7.39

--  Ultra-Luxury Automobiles
    --  Maybach-7.93
    --  Rolls-Royce-7.86
    --  Bentley-7.73

"The days of faux luxury, where some brands pretended to deliver luxury and aspirational consumers pretended they can afford it, are long gone. Today, true luxury is being acquired by those who can afford it, and that is healthy for everyone," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "In the 21st century, luxury and ultra-luxury automobiles still validate their clients, but with the advent of truly independent rating entities it is more important that customers also validate the brands. Our independent ratings provide guidance to consumers and brands corresponding to direct ratings from the voice of the wealthy consumer."

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only unbiased measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. 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.

About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings and research institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research and consulting services that guides and educates high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the LuxuryBoard.com (www.LuxuryBoard.com), the world's first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs.

Contact Information: For Further Information, Please Contact: Evins Communications, Ltd. Dotty J. Giordano Director Enid Lewin Vice President Phone: (212) 688-8200 E-mail: dotty.giordano@evins.com E-mail: enid.lewin@evins.com The Luxury Institute, LLC Martin Swanson Business Development Phone: (914) 909-6350 E-mail: mswanson@luxuryinstitute.com