Wealthy U.S. Consumers Rate the Most Prestigious Ultra-Luxury Automobiles: Rolls-Royce, Bentley and

The objective and independent New York City-based Luxury Institute reported today the top-rated ultra-luxury automobiles in the 2010 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey. This survey identifies the brands that deliver true luxury based solely on the unbiased ratings of wealthy U.S. consumers.

Rolls-Royce is the top rated ultra-luxury automobile brand according to wealthy consumers. Rolls-Royce scores above the benchmark average for all four components of the 2010 LBSI, as well as for both outcome metrics. Bentley and Maybach tie for second place for the 2010 LBSI, both achieving a score of 8.05.

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):

— Ultra-Luxury Autos
— Rolls-Royce-8.33
— Bentley-8.05
— Maybach-8.05

“The ultra-luxury auto category is coming back after a tough 2009,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “We expect to see these product-centric companies focus more on the overall customer experience this year as they try to generate traffic, new sales and increase customer retention and recovery rates.”

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only unbiased measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 505 ultra-wealthy American consumers, with weighted average household income of $845,000 and average investable assets of $16.6 million, was surveyed online.

About the Luxury Institute
The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings, research and Luxury CRM consulting institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications, research and consulting services that guide and educate 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 LuxuryBoard.com, the world’s first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs.