automotive

KBB Study: Hyundai Enters Top 5, Ford Is No. 1

Sonata

Hyundai enters the top five for the first time in Kelley Blue Book's quarterly ranking of of most-considered auto brands, while Ford stays on top. Hyundai moved up to five, knocking Nissan down to six.

In the Kbb.com Market Intelligence Brand Watch study, covering some 37 auto brands, Toyota came in at No. 2, Chevrolet was third, and Honda was in fourth place.

The study, fielded to over 3,000 in-market new-car shoppers on kbb.com last quarter, says consideration for Hyundai rose 6 percentage points in the non-luxury region of the coupe/sedan/hatchback segment, giving the automaker 29% of the total consideration.

Ford still leads with 29% of overall brand consideration versus second-place Toyota with 22%. Ford's performance was supported by its strength in SUVs and crossovers, where the automaker increased its lead by four percentage points versus the previous quarter to 46%. Honda and Toyota tie for second and third places in that category, each having 35%.

advertisement

advertisement

The study posts an 8% drop in consideration for Toyota vehicles versus the same quarter last year when it held the No. 1 spot overall. KBB says sibling Lexus hasn't seen consideration for its sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks this low since 2007, when the firm started doing its quarterly brand study. For this vehicle segment, Lexus has 30% consideration versus 41% in the first quarter in 2007.

Kelley Blue Book says consumers at its site are responding to the "Swagger Wagon" marketing campaign for Toyota's new 2011 Sienna. The vehicle got 53% percent of the category consideration for the second quarter, in the study.

"The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence findings show how the deck is being reshuffled in the automotive marketplace, with certain brands now holding places in consumer perception that we may not have believed just one or two years ago," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, in a statement.

In the study new-car shoppers said durability, reliability, driving comfort, fuel efficiency, driving performance and safety -- in that order -- are the top five important factors while shopping for their next new vehicle.

Next story loading loading..