SANTA BARBARA - Toyota's Perceived Quality Score rose four percent over the last six months and Lexus once again captured the luxury category's highest Perceived Quality rating in 2011, according to the Spring 2011 Perceived Quality Study from ALG, a subsidiary of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. and the industry benchmark for residual values and depreciation data.

The study also shows that Land Rover (up 2.5 percent) and Kia (up 5.6 percent) experienced the biggest gains in perception among luxury and mainstream brands respectively.

"The continued rebound of Toyota is a testament to the brand's solid reputation for quality and ownership loyalty. Toyota isn't out of the woods yet, however, as the company faces the repercussions of another large recall earlier this year," states Eric Lyman, director, Residual Value Solutions, ALG.

"We also see the success of Land Rover being fueled by the growing popularity of its driver-oriented Range Rover Sport and the Evoque, helping the brand slowly notch perception improvements. For Kia, the consumer quality recognition is the payoff for a recent revolution in product quality and design supported by aggressive marketing campaigns."