In the annual BrandsZ Top 100 survey conducted by market research company Millward Brown, BMW has moved into the lead when it comes to probably the most valuable auto brands worldwide. BMW's rise takes them above Toyota, who was damaged considerably by recent scandals over mechanical defects. Peter Walshe, the global brand director at Millward Brown, expects the setback for powerhouse Toyota to be only temporary. BMW moved into the top slot despite a nine percent decrease from the previous year. A 27 percent drop could mean that Toyota's trouble won't vanish in a single year, however.

BMW rules, despite Ford's high climb

Ford (19 percent) and Volkswagen (20 percent) both experienced a tremendous increase in brand value on the BrandsZ Top 100. Walshe attributes Ford's success to technological innovations like voice-controlled systems, improved emission control and a strong social media presence. Along with Audi, VW made a fine showing because they're "viewed as trustworthy brands with style, global distribution, German engineering and lower prices than prestige."

Toyota has company within the doldrums

The global recession hit luxury auto brands like Mercedes-Benz (11 percent) and Porsche (31 percent) hard also, which played a key role in the overall drop of 15 percent for the top six automakers on the BrandsZ Top 100 survey. That decrease was the largest noted in any sector, likely indicative of negative perception associated with government bailouts and large vehicle recalls.

Top 10 automotive brands on the BrandsZ Top 100

A measure of consumer opinion and corporate performance, the Millward Brown's BrandsZ Top 100 survey is located heavily upon international consumer reviews and financials kept by Bloomberg and Datamonitor. Google, IBM and Apple sit atop the prestigious survey, with brand values ranging from $ 114 billion to $ 83 billion. Take a check out where the top 10 automakers in terms of brand value place on the BrandsZ Top 100:

BMW 21.82 billion dollars (ranked 25th)

Toyota 21.77 billion (Twenty-sixth)

Honda $ 14.30 – (46)

Mercedes-Benz 13.74 billion (Fifty-third)

Porsche 12.02 billion dollars (ranked 65th)

Nissan 8.61 billion (Eighty-sixth)

Ford 7.04 billion dollars (out of BrandsZ Top 100)

VW $ 6.99

Audi $ 3.62

Renault 3.26 billion dollars (out of BrandsZ Top 100)

Resources

BMW has moved into the lead

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100428/COPY01/30428...

Millward Brown's BrandsZ Top 100

http://www.millwardbrown.com/Libraries/Optimor_BrandZ_Files/2010_BrandZ_...