Toyota tops global brand study, Ferrari remains world’s most powerful brand

Toyota has topped the latest Brand Finance Auto 100 annual study.

By Autocar Pro News Desk

05 Mar 2014

4657 Views

Toyota has topped the latest Brand Finance Auto 100 annual study. Conducted by leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, the study determines which are the most powerful and most valuable.

Toyota has consolidated its status as the world’s most valuable auto brand. Impressive growth of 34 percent means Toyota’s brand is now worth US $34.9 billion/Rs 215,786 crore ahead of BMW (US$29bn/Rs 179,307 crore) and Volkswagen (US$27bn/Rs 166,941 crore). Looking ahead, Toyota must negotiate the potential pothole of a 1.9 million unit recall of its Hybrid Prius model and the resulting loss of consumer confidence. The Japanese carmaker has faced similar challenges in the recent years. While brand value took a hit in the short term, it also rebounded quickly, suggesting that Toyota’s brand is powerful and resilient enough to see it through the latest issue.

Those already causing a stir at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show include Audi, which has just revealed its new TT. Its brand value is up 30 percent to US$7 billion/Rs 43,281 crore. Brands valued for the first time include Maserati (US$693m/Rs 4,284 crore), which presented its Alfieri coupe concept, Lamborghini (US$677m/Rs 4,185 crore) which unveiled the Huracan, which will replace the outgoing Gallardo and Tesla (US$1.2bn/Rs 7,419 crore) whose share price is soaring as it forges a reputation as perhaps the only credible electric car brand.

Ferrari is again the world's most powerful auto brand, in fact the most powerful brand from any industry. It scores highly on a wide variety of measures on Brand Finance’s Brand Strength Index, from desirability, loyalty and consumer sentiment to visual identity, online presence and employee satisfaction. The exceptional AAA+ brand rating has been preserved thanks to the strategic decision to cap production at 7,000, maintaining the brand’s exclusivity. As a result, despite a 4 percent fall in production last year, brand value rose 12 percent to US$4 billion/Rs 24,732 crore.

Ferrari’s latest branding coup is its involvement in the launch of the ‘CarPlay’ system, which integrates a user’s iPhone into an onboard display. This collaboration between Apple, the world’s most valuable brand (worth US$105bn/Rs 649,215 crore) and Ferrari, the world’s most powerful, could be the start of the ultimate brand partnership.

Unsurprisingly, German, Japanese and American-owned brands dominate the table, accounting for 74 percent of the total US$388 billion/Rs 2,399,004 crore brand value. France and Italy’s share of brand ownership is increasingly threatened by rising Asian manufacturers based in India, South Korean and China. Notable by its absence is the UK. The UK may be a leader in automotive technology, the base for eight Formula1 teams and the original home of brands now worth US$13.6 billion, but none of the world’s 100 auto brands are now British owned.

Overall, the auto industry performed strongly last year, thanks to a combination of global economic recovery and increased demand in both the United States and Asia. The brand value of the top 50 brands rose by $55 billion to $346 billion, and the gross margins of the five biggest manufacturers are the highest they have been for 10 years.

Brand Finance chief executive David Haigh commented, “The increasing market share of the biggest manufacturers coupled with a trend for joint ventures and alliances has resulted in vehicles that are mechanically more homogeneous. Consequently, brand will play an increasingly important role in shaping consumer preference over the coming years, not just for the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche but for mass market manufacturers too.”

Rank 2014	Rank 2013	Brand	Domicile	Brand Value 2014 (USD m)	Brand Rating 2014	Brand Value Change (USD m)	Brand Value Change (%)	Brand Value 2013 (USD m)	Brand Rating 2013
1	1	Toyota	Japan	34903	AAA-	8924	34%	25979	AA+
2	3	BMW	Germany	28962	AAA	5726	25%	23236	AAA
3	2	Volkswagen	Germany	27062	AAA-	3396	14%	23666	AAA-
4	4	Mercedes-Benz	Germany	24171	AAA-	3873	19%	20298	AAA-
5	7	Honda	Japan	22152	AA+	6038	37%	16114	AA+
6	6	Nissan	Japan	21194	AA+	3548	20%	17646	AA+
7	5	Ford	US	20236	AAA-	613	3%	19623	AA+
8	8	Porsche	Germany	11370	AAA	129	1%	11241	AAA
9	9	Hyundai	South Korea	9236	AA+	521	6%	8715	AA+
10	10	Renault	France	9010	AA	581	7%	8430	AA+
11	11	Peugeot	France	7123	AA	478	7%	6645	AA-
12	14	Audi	Germany	7082	AA+	1627	30%	5455	AAA-
13	12	Chevrolet	US	6426	AA+	393	7%	6033	AA-
14	15	Kia	South Korea	5356	AA	-35	-1%	5391	AA-
15	16	Suzuki	Japan	5305	A+	850	19%	4455	A+
16	13	Fiat	Italy	5179	AA	-589	-10%	5768	AA-
17	19	Daimler	Germany	5085	AA+	1194	31%	3891	AA
18	17	General Motors	US	4842	AAA-	527	12%	4315	AA+
19	24	Mazda	Japan	4511	AA	1066	31%	3445	AA-
20	-	Land Rover	India	4339	AA+	1314	43%	3025	AA+
21	20	GMC	US	4310	AA	436	11%	3874	AA-
22	18	Citroen	France	4260	AA	185	5%	4075	AA-
23	28	MINI	Germany	4238	AAA-	1255	42%	2983	AA+
24	25	Subaru	Japan	4227	AA-	872	26%	3356	AA-
25	26	Lexus	Japan	4169	AA	1060	34%	3110	AAA-
26	22	Ferrari	Italy	4037	AAA+	397	11%	3640	AAA+
27	-	Harley-Davidson	US	3938	AAA-	1212	44%	2726	AA
28	32	Mitsubishi	Japan	3933	AA-	1546	65%	2387	AA-
29	31	Dongfeng	China	3613	A+	843	30%	2771	A+
30	27	Volvo	Sweden	3525	AA	467	15%	3058	AA
31	30	Isuzu	Japan	3442	A+	599	21%	2843	A+
32	-	Hino	Japan	3010	A+	-	-	-	-
33	34	Daihatsu	Japan	2768	A+	494	22%	2274	A+
34	-	SAIC	China	2672	A+	1322	98%	1350	A+
35	-	Opel	US	2587	AA	444	21%	2143	AA-
36	36	Kenworth	US	2544	AA-	344	16%	2200	A+
37	35	Jeep	Italy	2508	AA+	263	12%	2244	AA+
38	-	Scania	Sweden	2453	AA-	2453	-	-	-
39	44	Lincoln	US	2398	AA	1066	80%	1332	AA
40	-	Great Wall	China	2392	A+	1413	144%	979	A+
41	37	Dodge	Italy	2312	AA-	261	13%	2051	AA
42	23	Tata Motors	India	2294	AA-	-1265	-36%	3559	AA-
43	41	Acura	Japan	2158	AA	536	33%	1622	AA
44	-	Bentley	Germany	2075	AAA	444	27%	1632	AAA+
45	40	Skoda	Germany	1965	AA	151	8%	1814	AA
46	39	Chrysler	Italy	1952	AA	31	2%	1921	AAA-
47	45	RAM Trucks	Italy	1878	AA-	550	41%	1328	AA-
48	43	Buick	US	1821	AA	251	16%	1570	AA-
49	33	Mahindra	India	1749	AA-	-555	-24%	2304	AA-
50	-	Pang Da Automobile	China	1712	A	-	-	-	-
51	-	Changan	China	1636	A	-	-	-	-
52	42	Infiniti	Japan	1619	AA-	33	2%	1587	AA
53	47	Smart	Germany	1565	AA	336	27%	1230	AA-
54	49	FAW	China	1554	A	763	97%	791	A+
55	-	Renault Trucks	Sweden	1509	AA-	-	-	-	-
56	38	Cadillac	US	1499	AA+	-528	-26%	2027	AA-
57	46	Maruti Suzuki	India	1359	AA	35	3%	1324	AA-
58	-	Pontiac	US	1269	AA	-	-	-	-
59	-	Jaguar	India	1246	AA+	460	58%	786	AA+
60	-	Foton	China	1212	A	-	-	-	-
61	-	Geely	Hong Kong	1201	AA-	479	66%	722	A+
62	-	Tesla Motors	US	1191	AA	-	-	-	-
63	-	Anhui Jianghuai Auto	China	1189	A+	-	-	-	-
64	-	JMC	China	951	A+	-	-	-	-
65	-	Vauxhall	US	926	AA	88	10%	839	AA-
66	-	Scion	Japan	916	AA-	-	-	-	-
67	50	Seat	Germany	884	AA	116	15%	768	AA-
68	-	Rolls- Royce	Germany	819	AAA	275	51%	543	AAA
69	-	DAF	US	818	AA-	-	-	-	-
70	-	GAC Group	China	798	A+	-	-	-	-
71	-	Xiamen King Long	China	760	A	-	-	-	-
72	-	Zhengzhou Yutong Bus	China	746	A+	-	-	-	-
73	-	UD Trucks	Sweden	695	AA-	91	15%	605	A+
74	-	Hero	India	694	A+	-112	-14%	806	A+
75	-	Maserati	Italy	693	AAA-	-	-	-	-
76	-	Lamborghini	Germany	677	AAA	-	-	-	-
77	-	Eicher	Sweden	639	AA-	-	-	-	-
78	-	Haima	China	614	A	-	-	-	-
79	-	Bajaj Auto	India	597	AA-	73	14%	524	AA
80	-	Holden	US	558	AA	-	-	-	-
81	-	Avtovaz	Russia	550	A	-	-	-	-
82	-	Kamaz	Russia	537	A	-	-	-	-
83	-	Mack	Sweden	523	AA-	-	-	-	-
84	-	Alfa Romeo	Italy	474	AAA-	71	18%	403	AA-
85	-	Renault Samsung	France	446	AA	-	-	-	-
86	-	SSangYong	South Korea	434	A	-	-	-	-
87	-	Saab	US	428	AA	-	-	-	-
88	-	Lancia	Italy	326	AA-	19	6%	308	AA-
89	-	BYD	China	304	A+	-	-	-	-
90	-	GAZ	Russia	303	A	-	-	-	-
91	-	China Motor Corp	Taiwan	277	A	-	-	-	-
92	-	Ashok Leyland	India	258	A	-	-	-	-
93	-	Brilliance	Hong Kong	243	A+	-	-	-	-
94	-	FAW Tianjin	China	242	A	-	-	-	-
95	-	Proton	Malaysia	237	A	137	137%	100	AA-
96	-	New Flyer	Canada	218	A	-	-	-	-
97	-	UAZ	Russia	205	A	-	-	-	-
98	-	Sinotruk	China	172	A	-	-	-	-
99	-	Umw	Malaysia	149	A+	38	34%	111	A+
100	-	DRB-HICOM	Malaysia	141	A	79	127%	62	A

Brand Value Totals by Domicile and Country of Origin

Rank	Domicile	Brand Value 2014 (USD bn)	Rank	Country of Origin	Brand Value 2014 (USD bn)
1	Germany	115.96	1	Japan	115.00
2	Japan	114.31	2	Germany	107.89
3	US	55.79	3	US	57.25
4	France	20.84	4	France	22.35
5	China	20.57	5	China	22.01
6	Italy	19.36	6	South Korea	15.03
7	South Korea	15.03	7	UK	13.64
8	India	12.54	8	Italy	13.26
9	Sweden	9.34	9	Sweden	7.57
10	Russia	1.59	10	India	6.95
11	Hong Kong	1.44	11	Czech Rep.	1.96
12	Malaysia	0.53	12	Russia	1.59
13	Taiwan	0.28	13	Spain	0.88
14	Canada	0.22	14	Netherlands	0.82
-	-	-	15	Australia	0.56
-	-	-	16	Malaysia	0.53
-	-	-	17	Taiwan	0.28
-	-	-	18	Canada	0.22