Nissan Frontier Ranked Number One Compact Pickup in Vehicle Satisfaction Survey

FRANKLIN, Tenn., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Autobytel and AutoPacific announced the winners for the 16th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Award, with Nissan Frontier taking top honors in the compact pickup category. This award measures how satisfied new car and light truck buyers are with their recently purchased vehicle and is based on more than 75,000 survey respondents who objectively rate 48 key vehicle attributes on their importance when considering to purchase, as well as satisfaction after purchase.

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"The 2012 Frontier has earned numerous accolades for its dependability and value since its launch, and today we celebrate the distinguished honor of providing our valued owners with the highest level of overall satisfaction," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America. "This award underscores the strong commitment the company has made in delivering quality and reliability while still offering new levels of innovation, fuel-efficiency, dynamic performance and premium style to all our customers."

Combining premium hardware, extraordinary power and off-road athleticism, Frontier continues to be a leader in the mid-size truck segment. The Nissan Frontier emulates many of the Nissan Titan's full-size features, including its bold, expressive and adventurous exterior styling. Frontier utilizes signature Nissan truck themes, including an angled strut grille, large bumpers, short front and rear overhangs and large, stamped steel, geometric fender flares. The 2012 Frontier model lineup consists of Frontier S, Frontier SV, Frontier PRO-4X (4x4 models only) and Frontier SL (Crew Cab only). It is offered in both King Cab and Crew Cab body styles, in 4x2 and 4x4 driveline configurations, offering exceptional levels of family or workplace performance to fit nearly any need or budget.

"The quality of vehicles from all manufacturers has risen to the highest level in history and what delineates a car or truck is owner satisfaction," said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. "Consumer purchases are often influenced by objective awards especially when they are based on consumer sentiment. It was our goal to get the input from as many consumers as possible because ultimately, it's the consumer's opinion that counts."

The honor from Autobytel and AutoPacific follows four other industry awards for Frontier in 2012. In addition to being listed on Insure.com's annual "Least Expensive To Insure" list, Frontier was named first in the mid-size pickup truck category in the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) 2011 Texas Truck Rodeo, and to Kelley Blue Book's "Best Resale Value Award: Top Ten Models" for model year 2012. Notably, J.D. Power and Associates named Frontier as the top mid-size pickup in its 2012 Vehicle Dependability Study.

For complete details on the 2012 Autobytel and AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, please visit http://www.autopacific.com/awards

About the Autobytel and AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

The 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are based on scores developed using results from AutoPacific's national New Vehicle Satisfaction Survey. Respondents to this survey are owners of new 2012 model year cars and trucks purchased from September through December 2011. The questionnaire was administered in January and February 2012. Respondents rate 48 attributes for importance in the purchase decision and satisfaction after purchase. Over 75,000 respondents provided input for these awards.

About AutoPacific

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and product-consulting firm. Every year AutoPacific publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies on the automotive industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Company headquarters are in Tustin, California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area.

About Autobytel Inc.  

Autobytel Inc., an online leader offering consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to car dealers and manufacturers and providing consumers with the information they need to purchase new and used cars, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched autobytel.com in 1995. Autobytel continues to offer innovative products and services to help consumers buy, and auto dealers and manufacturers sell, more used and new cars. Autobytel has helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online. Through its flagship website autobytel.com, its network of automotive sites and its respected online affiliates, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry's highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with some of the industry's most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs. Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing our online signup form at http://investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm

About Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

SOURCE Nissan North America