Honda Motors Co. has been named Best Overall Brand (non-luxury) for the second consecutive year in the Kelley Blue Book 2014 Brand Image Awards, which are based on preferences of new-car shoppers visiting the KBB website.
Mercedes-Benz was named the Overall winner among luxury brands, according to a KBB study.
Strong consumer perception of the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey helped drive Honda’s success in earning the top honor among all automakers and Most Trusted Brand honors.聽
Other KBB鈥檚 non-luxury winners were Kia, Best Value Brand; GMC, Most Refined Brand; MINI, Best Performance Brand, and Chevrolet, Best Car Styling Brand. Among luxury brands, Lexus was named Most Trusted; Buick, Best Value; Mercedes-Benz, Most Refined; Porsche, Most Trusted, and Jaguar, Best Car Styling Brand. Ford was named Best Overall Truck Brand.
Study factors included affordability, “cool” factor, driving comfort, driving performance, durability/reliability, exterior styling, fuel efficiency, interior layout, prestige/sophistication, reputation, ruggedness and safety (listed in alphabetical order).
鈥淐onsidering Honda has also won the award for Most Trusted Brand among non-luxury shoppers three years in a row, this [overall] win isn’t a huge surprise,鈥� KBB said in reporting the results on its website. 鈥淲e have long respected Honda’s cars, SUVs and minivans for their reliability and refinement, and it turns out the new-car shoppers at Kelley Blue Book feel the same way.鈥�
鈥淭he well-rounded聽Mercedes-Benz聽stable includes models for well-heeled travelers who enjoy a comfortable ride, vehicles that provide the adrenaline-infused performance of the AMG treatment, and prices that range from entry-level luxury to opulence worthy of a CEO,鈥� said KBB on its website. 鈥淚ts cars continue to impress, with eye-catching styling and elegant, technology-filled interiors, and have always stayed true to the company’s reputation for reliability and quality.鈥�
The Brand Image Awards are based on Kelley Blue Book鈥檚 Brand Watch study, which identifies what shoppers who visit KBB.com 鈥減erceive to be the most outstanding automakers.鈥� The study, which is conducted online, taps into more than 12,000 new-vehicle shoppers annually who do their research at KBB.com, which attracts about 11 million unique visitors a month.
鈥淩epresenting the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public, the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards recognize automakers’ outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that engender enthusiasm among new-vehicle buyers,鈥� KBB said on its website.
More details on the study results, including Kia鈥檚 emergence as the Top Value Brand are available at newspressusa.com.
