ydooby

Hopefully the latest round of refreshes and redesigns will help turn Lexus around in brand perception.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...rvey/index.htm

2013 Car Brand Perception Survey
Consumers rank Toyota, Ford, and Honda above the competition

The latest Consumer Reports’ Car Brand Perception Survey again shows that the perceived difference between brands is shrinking. Even with a slight year-over-year score shift, the top automotive brands remain Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet. However, newcomer Tesla is on the rise.

For 2013, Toyota has a 15-point advantage with its 133-point overall brand perception score over second-ranked Ford. Toyota boasted a more dramatic lead in 2010, which faded after the company’s safety concerns and recalls dominated headlines a few years ago, but since then, Toyota has edged back up.

Ford remains in a solid second-place (118 points), with Honda retaining third place (114 points), yet jumping 20 points over last year. The top six brands overall finished in the same rank order as in 2012.

Based on data collected from a random, nationwide survey, the scores reflect how consumers perceive each brand in seven categories: quality, safety, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation, and environmentally friendly/green. Combining those factors gives us the total brand-perception score. While the scores reflect a brand’s image in consumers’ minds, they do not reflect the actual qualities of any brand’s vehicles.

This last year brought stability to much of the automotive industry. Bankruptcies, brand closures, and lackluster sales were history for some companies. Instead, we saw new models introduced emphasizing design and fuel economy. Also, there is an increase in car sales spurred by an aging national fleet. Yet, the brand awareness for many brands has declined, including BMW, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Hyundai, and Nissan. It is harder for companies to compete for share of mind, a situation perhaps exaggerated in years dominated by election and disaster news coverage.

In looking at how the brands rank, it is clear that it takes more than a single ad campaign or new product for most brands to connect with consumers and earn their favor. The rare exception is Tesla, a small, electric-car builder that has garnered awards for its new Model S sedan and made a notable splash in this latest survey. Tesla made the Top 10 list last year with an overall 42-point score, and this year, it again holds the 10th spot with a higher 55 points.

The real party crasher this year is Dodge. With its 56 points, Dodge bumped Lexus from the best list, as that luxury brand saw its score rise just seven points to 50 points for 2013 from the previous year against Dodge’s 23-point gain. While most brands excel in select areas, counting on just a couple or a few factors for their points, Dodge made the cut this year with modest showings across the board. And that was despite Chrysler Corp.'s separating the Ram truck group from Dodge. Its strongest categories were performance (14 points) and design/style (13 points), with the weakest showing being environmentally friendly/green (3 points). Not all brands can be everything to everyone.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Scion tied with Mitsubishi for last with 6 points!! wowza

BornDriver

I wouldn't buy anything from Scion. It is a big mistake Toyota lable 86 as Scion FRS.

CDNROCKIES

An amusing list at best....clearly put together by people that know nothing about cars.

Porsche on the "worst" list for brand perception....lol. Dodge on the "best" list...LMAO. Report loses any and all credibility right there.

spwolf

its put together by people who buy cars, not enthusiasts or journalists.

and you know what? If we cross check with sales for January 2013, Toyota, Ford, Honda grew sales the most :-).
In the order they are on that list.

Obviously that doesnt work for niche brands, but this is not survey of nich brands, it is popularity contest among great deal of population.

TwiBlueG35

Mazda is, in my opinion, actually a pretty good brand.

mmarshall

The newer Dodge Ram pickups, Challenger, Charger, Durango, and, of course, the all-new Dart, have done wonders for the company's image (and much of it, IMO, justified)...though some reviewers have complained that the Dart is underpowered and has some unimpressive powertrains. According to Consumer Reports, customer-satisfaction with the Challenger, despite its large, gas-thirsty engines, is extremely high....roughly on a par with the Corvette, Volt, and Toyota Prius. Of course, the Challenger and Charger, unlike the newer Dart, were both done off modified versions of the Mercedes E-Class chassis/platform, back when the company was part of Daimler-Chrysler.

SteVTEC

Maybe people think that Porsches are driven by rich 1%er *******s and thus have a negative perception of them? Or maybe most people know they'll never be able to afford one, and thus could care less about the brand? Meanwhile Dodge has indeed been cranking out some impressive new products. I like the looks of the new Charger quite a bit and see them everywhere. "Perception" can mean a lot of things. I'll have to read further to see what the criteria is.

They do know PLENTY about cars.

spwolf

its CR consumer survey, not their own evanuation... so yeah they average buyer might be opposite of car enthusiast :-).

FrankReynoldsCPA

Go Ford!

I love the Dodge/Ram disparity....what in tarnation?

SteVTEC

Now yes, but their products the past few years have been pretty lackluster IMHO. I think the new 6 is gonna be pretty successful, which will probably boost the brand perception quite a bit.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

i dont get it. toyota is a the top, while their marque scion is at the bottom? I guess they dont like the small, inexpensensive fuel efficient cars made by ToMoCo?

LexFather

Call me a douche but the frs being a scion hasn't helped sell itself to me.

Tesla should be proud of its ranking!

SteVTEC

Small inexpensive cars driven by young punks who think they own the road and drive like complete asses. All of the completely moronic tC drivers where I used to live singlehandedly made me despise the Scion brand. I thought maybe it was just me, but even my wife got pissed off and started venting to me one day about all of the idiot Scion drivers that had nearly run her off of the road one too many times. Scion = drive defensively and look out. Modified Scion = start praying...

mmarshall

I dont use that kind of language, Mike.

Have you checked out the Subie BR-Z version? I agree that the FR-S, trim/equipment-wise, isn't as nice inside, or overall, quite as nice a car. I sat in an FR-S at the D.C. show a couple of days ago, and the way-too-narrow seats couldn't even begin to hold my big frame.......the sharp bolsters pressed way into my butt and torso. You're taller than me, but (probably) slimmer, too....and may not have that side-bolster problem. The Subie seat seeemd better....but only by a small amount.

This car is also marketed in Europe and elsewhere as a Toyota.

Tesla himself, who the car is named after, never really got his due credit when he was alive.