Panasonic Achieves the Top Three Rank Positions in Rear-Seat Entertainment System Customer Satisfaction

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Nine of 10 Owners of Rear-Seat Entertainment Systems Say They Would Recommend Their System

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., 28 November 2007 — Panasonic occupies the top three rank positions among rear-seat entertainment systems, with the Panasonic system supplied to the Honda Odyssey leading in overall rear-seat entertainment customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Rear-Seat Entertainment Usage and Satisfaction StudySM released today.

Now in its fourth year, the study measures the satisfaction of owners who recently purchased a vehicle with a factory-installed rear-seat entertainment system. Four factors are examined to measure owner satisfaction: appearance, video screen, system operation and audio.

The Panasonic system supplied to the Honda Odyssey ranks highest among award-eligible models, performing particularly well in the overall appearance and video screen factors. Panasonic systems also achieve the second and third rank positions for the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot, respectively.

“Providing products that meet customer expectations has proved particularly beneficial to the supplier, as 2007 marks the fourth consecutive year that a Panasonic system has ranked highest in the study,” said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power and Associates.

While overall satisfaction with rear-seat entertainment systems is high in general, the study also finds that nine of 10 customers say they would recommend their system to family or friends. Additionally, more than 60 percent of owners indicate that their next new-vehicle purchase decision will be negatively impacted if a rear-seat entertainment system is not available.

The study also finds that certain rear-seat system enhancements are in demand, but are not available in all systems. These enhancements include fold-flat headphones, integrated storage for DVDs/CDs and portable digital music players, capability of playing different DVD formats, and noise cancellation headphones.

Approximately 75 percent of owners say they have not experienced a problem with their factory-installed rear-seat entertainment system. Among owners who did experience a problem, those most frequently reported are issues with the supplied headphones, system controls in the front of the vehicle and the disc loading but not playing.

“With the influence of competing features on rear-seat entertainment systems continually evolving and device connectivity becoming more important among consumers, auto manufacturers must offer increased functionality to maintain the rear-seat entertainment system value proposition,” said Marshall.

The 2007 Rear-Seat Entertainment Usage and Satisfaction Study includes responses from more than 8,200 consumers who purchased a new vehicle with a factory-equipped rear-seat entertainment system between August 2006 and May 2007. The study was fielded from September to October 2007.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

Source: J.D. Power and Associates

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