HUMMER.com's official website was totally cool when I first saw its homepage last night. Two days ago, when I read the article from TheAutoChannel.com, I wondered why HUMMER came out as the top ranked in the latest J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study(SM) (MWES)-Wave 1. Now I know why.   

According to the Auto Channel, J.D Power and Associate's semi-annual evaluation determines the manufacturer's Web site usefulness during the shopping process of new car buyers.

"HUMMER continues to set the standard with a Web site that satisfies shoppers through fast performance and streamlined navigation. A focus on a user-friendly site that delivers robust information to shoppers both quickly and easily has put HUMMER's site in the top spot three times in the past four waves of MWES," says Steve Witten, the executive director of marketing/media research at J.D. Power and Associates.

"Traditional point-and-click Web site navigation is changing as a growing number of shoppers use search engines to link directly to automotive manufacturer model pages rather than the home pages. As a result, manufacturer vehicle model pages are beginning to contain more functionality than ever before. Lincoln's Web site, in particular, combines rich content on its model pages with fast, clear navigation," added Witten.

Final results of the Manufacturer Web Site Rankings (Based on a 1,000-point scale):

  HUMMER 867
  Lincoln 865
  Kia 863
  Honda 862
  Mazda 862
  Jeep   859
  Acura 858
  Lexus 856
  Saab 854
  Toyota 851
  Ford 850
  Mercury 849
  Subaru 849
  Suzuki 849
  Cadillac 848
  Dodge 848
  Infiniti 846
  Mitsubishi 846
  Buick 845
  Land Rover 845
  Porsche 845
  BMW 843
  Industry Average 842
  MINI 840
  Hyundai 835
  Saturn 835
  Volvo 833
  Chrysler 830
  Jaguar 830
  Mercedes-Benz 830
  Chevrolet 828
  Nissan 828
  GMC 824
  Pontiac 823
  Volkswagen 820
  Scion 803
  Audi 784