SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
ALG revealed the winners of its 12th Annual Residual Value Awards today, and leading the pack, once again, are the Japanese brands.
Not only did Japanese makes claim the overall No. 1 brand spots on both the mainstream and luxury sides, but they were represented by 12 of the 19 vehicles that won individual segment awards.
Subaru was the mainstream brand winner, while Infiniti was recognized on the luxury side.
Those two brands also fared well among the segment awards, with Subaru winning three (Legacy, Forester and Outback in the midsize car, compact utility vehicle and midsize utility-vehicle categories, respectively), and Infiniti was represented by the QX56 in the luxury full-size utility class.
“The sustained high quality of Subaru’s products, as well as its consistent message about the benefits of all-wheel drive, continue to inspire a remarkable loyalty among its customer base,” shared Raj Sundaram, senior vice president of the solutions group at ALG.
“This has allowed Subaru to achieve strong sales growth without relying on heavy discounting or fleet sales, which is another key to its ranking atop the mainstream brands again this year,” he continued.
Regarding Infiniti, he added: “Building upon the foundation of its entry-level G sedan, Infiniti has introduced exciting new designs for the M and QX and added technology that is proving very popular with consumers.
“The QX56 is a great example, offering a luxurious interior and numerous cutting-edge features at a price significantly below its more established competitors,” Sundaram further noted.
Infiniti’s No. 1 ranking on the luxury side is a strong jump from its fourth-place finish a year ago. An Infiniti executive shared the brand’s excitement with being honored.
“It’s an honor to be recognized as having the highest projected resale value of any luxury brand in America,” said Ben Poore, Infiniti vice president. “The Way of Infiniti is all about providing the best experience for our customers, from the day they first walk into an Infiniti showroom throughout the entire ownership experience. 
“This recognition from ALG is another assurance to our clients that they can purchase an Infiniti with confidence,” he added.
Offering some commentary on his automaker winning the mainstream category, Tom Doll, Subaru of America’s chief operating officer, shared: “These awards are a fantastic testament to the inherent value in Subaru products. Our combination of all-wheel drive, safety, reliability and value is unmatched in the industry and we thank ALG for their recognition of that.”
Continuing on, Honda placed second in the overall mainstream class and won the subcompact car category with the Fit as well as the MPV category with the Odyssey. Acura was second in the overall luxury rankings and was recognized in the near luxury car category (TI).
Toyota — whose Tacoma was the top midsize pickup — fell to No. 6 in the mainstream class. The brand had placed second in this category each year from 2005 to 2008.
A Hyundai model made its debut appearance on the Residual Value Awards list for segment winners. The Elantra took home the compact car honors. Moreover, Hyundai placed seventh, which was its strongest ranking ever.

Nissan, meanwhile, celebrated its first year of receiving multiple segment awards. It earned honors in the full-size car category (Maxima) and the Luxury Sports Car category (GT-R).

Only one Big 3 vehicle made the list, the Ford F-Series Super Duty. It took honors in the full-size pickup category. This marks the second straight year the F-Series Super Duty has been the sole domestic winner.
Explaining the awards in more detail, officials noted that each segment award is given to the vehicle in the respective class that is projected to hold its original MSRP the strongest over three years.
Some of the criteria used in picking winners were segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends, ALG noted.
“High residual values are a key indicator of a brand’s health and contribute to driving increased profitability,” Sundaram stated. 
“The movements within our 2011 rankings suggest that more OEMs are committed to improving residuals, and that the awards in the future will be even more competitive based on the strides the Korean and domestic manufacturers are making,” he added.
ALG’s summary of the winners is as follows:
Mainstream Brand: Subaru of America
Luxury Brand: Infiniti, a division of Nissan North America
Segment Winners
—Subcompact Car: Honda Fit 
—Compact Car: Hyundai Elantra               
—Midsize Car: Subaru Legacy   
—Full-Size Car: Nissan Maxima
—Sporty Car: Mini Cooper Countryman              
—Alternative Powertrain: Volkswagen Golf TDI
—MPV: Honda Odyssey               
—Compact Utility: Subaru Forester        
—Midsize Utility: Subaru Outback           
—Full-Size Utility: Mazda CX-9  
—Midsize Pickup: Toyota Tacoma           
—Full-Size Pickup: Ford F-Series Super Duty      
—Near-luxury Car: Acura TL       
—Luxury Car: Lexus LS 460          
—Luxury Sports Car:  Nissan GT-R           
—Luxury Alt-Fuel:  Mercedes-Benz E 350 BlueTec            
—Luxury Compact Utility: BMW X3         
—Luxury Midsize Utility: Land Rover Range Rover Sport               
—Luxury Full-Size Utility: Infiniti QX56