WALTHAM, Mass. -

DealerRater recently revealed the winners of the 2011 Dealer of the Year Award Program, which hands out honors for distinction in outstanding customer service based upon reviews of dealership experiences shared on the company’s website.

The highest honor went to Russell & Smith Honda of Houston as 2011 Dealer of the Year. Managed by Jack Carney, Russell & Smith, Honda of Houston also was the recipient of the 2011 Honda Dealer of the Year Award. 

DealerRater indicated Russell & Smith Honda received 160 reviews and a 12-month average PowerScore of 4.9 out of 5 in 2010.

“We are extremely proud of our team of sales and service professionals at Russell & Smith Honda. This award is a huge accomplishment,” declared Mark Rehkopf, general manager of the Russell & Smith Auto Group of Houston.

“Jack Carney does a phenomenal job of managing the most respectful and professional staff in the country,” Rehkopf continued. “It’s nice to now be officially recognized as the best of the best by the biggest car dealership review company in the world and by the great people of Houston.”

In additional to the 2011 Dealer of the Year Award announcement, DealerRater unveiled winners by brand:

—Acura: Criswell Acura of Annapolis, Annapolis, Md.
—Audi: Audi North Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Ariz.
—BMW: Park Ave BMW, Rochelle Park, N.J.
—Buick: Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Georgetown, Texas
—Cadillac: MileOne Heritage Cadillac, Bel Air, Md.
—Chevrolet: Herb Connolly Chevrolet, Framingham, Mass.
—Chrysler: Jeff Wyler Eastgate Auto Mall, Batavia, Ohio
—Dodge: Lawless Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Woburn, Mass.
—Ford: Northside Ford, San Antonio, Texas
—GMC: Jeff Wyler Florence Buick GMC, Florence, Ky.
—Hummer: Herb Chambers Hummer, Danvers, Mass.
—Hyundai: Hyundai of St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Fla.
—Infiniti: Herb Chambers Infiniti of Boston, Boston, Mass.
—Jeep: Jeff Wyler Eastgate Auto Mall, Batavia, Ohio
—Kia: Dick Hannah Kia, Vancouver, Wash.
—Lexus: Herb Chambers Lexus, Sharon, Mass.
—Lincoln: Spradley Barr Ford, Fort Collins, Colo.
—Mazda: MileOne Heritage Mazda of Bel Air, Bel Air, Md.
—Mercedes-Benz: Flagship Motorcars Mercedes-Benz & Sprinter, Lynnfield, Mass.
—Mercury: Spradley Barr Ford, Fort Collins, Colo.
—Mini: Checkered Flag BMW MINI, Virginia Beach, Va.
—Mitsubishi: RC Hill Mitsubishi, DeLand, Fla.
—Nissan: Bommarito Nissan, Hazlewood, Mo.
—Saab: Herb Chambers Saab of Boston, Allston, Mass.
—Scion: DCH Toyota of Simi Valley, Simi Valley, Calif.
—Subaru: MileOne Heritage Subaru, Owings Mills, Md.
—Toyota: DCH Toyota of Simi Valley, Simi Valley, Calif.
—Volkswagen: Wellesley Volkswagen, Wellesley, Mass.
—Volvo: Prestige Volvo, East Hanover, N.J.
—Used Cars: Harbro Sales & Service Inc., Linwood, Mass.

Site officials explained the 2011 award winners demonstrated consistently high PowerScore ratings for customer satisfaction. They said the PowerScore is determined using a Bayesian algorithm that factors the dealership’s average DealerRater user rating and the total number of reviews written about the dealership during the 2010 calendar year. 

DealerRater indicated the dealership must also have at least 25 new reviews written on website during the previous calendar year and an average rating greater than 4.0, with 5.0 as the highest possible score. 

“We are delighted to distinguish all of our award recipients for their outstanding customer service ratings,” stated Chip Grueter, president of DealerRater.

“Our overall winner Russell & Smith Honda joined our Certified Dealer Program in 2009 and is a first-time recipient," Grueter continued. "We congratulate them and look forward to their continued success.”