Ford most considered brand in United States

According to the latest Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com Market Intelligence Brand Watch study, Ford continues its reign in the top spot as the most-considered among the 37 new-vehicle brands, further increasing its lead over the second most-considered brand Toyota (Ford has 29 percent of overall brand consideration regardless of segment, whereas Toyota has 22%).

According to the Q2 2010 Brand Watch Study, Ford particularly excelled in the non-luxury SUV/CUV segment, increasing its lead by four percentage points over the previous quarter to capture nearly half (46%) of the consideration among new non-luxury SUV/CUV shoppers. In comparison, Honda and Toyota tie for second and third places, each only having 35 percent.

“The results of this Kelley Blue Book study truly replicate our value for money products boasting industry leading safety, quality, and technology features. We are also noticing the same trend here in the region with Ford enjoying healthy growth in sales across the Middle East, reflecting our growing popularity and heightened consideration for car buyers,” said Hussein Murad, Ford’s Director of Sales in the Middle East.

“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. “Ford continues its upward trajectory … when you make dynamic, exciting and affordable products that appeal to the new-car shopping masses, consumer perception begins to change and subsequently, sales will follow.”

For Q2 2010, new-car shoppers rank durability/reliability, driving comfort, fuel efficiency, driving performance and safety (respectively) as the top five important factors while shopping for their next new vehicle.

The Q2 2010 Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch Study was fielded to more than 3,000 in-market new-car shoppers on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com from April 6 – June 17, 2010. Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch is an ongoing study tracking and trending consumer perceptions, detailing strengths and weaknesses of makes within each segment. Brand Watch primarily tracks brand consideration, segment consideration, important consideration factors for new-car shoppers, and how brands perform on those important factors. Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence has been tracking Brand Watch since 2007.