BMW Replaces Toyota as World's Most Valuable Car Brand

After being ousted by Toyota last year, BMW is back on top as the world’s most valuable car brand.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study has been a battle between the German and Japanese automakers over the past few years. In the 2010 report BMW was named number one among automakers, while the previous four years belonged to Toyota.

“As one of the great brands in the world, BMW has been absolutely consistent in the long-term regarding what is meaningfully different about their brand, in highly competitive market places,” said global brand director Peter Walshe of Millward Brown, which publishes the Top 100 brands report. Noted in the report is the automaker’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan.

Toyota’s brand message is also clear, with a focus on reliability and value, and Walshe admits that the drop to the number two spot has less to do with brand awareness and more to do with its bottom line. “The problem with Toyota has to do with its financials, not brand, due to the disasters, which were clearly out of its control,” said Walshe.

German automakers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Audi all saw their brand value increase for 2012, due to strong growth in Asia. And much like Toyota, Japanese automakers Lexus, Nissan and Honda all saw a decline.

Hyundai managed a ninth spot on the list, marking the first time a Korean automaker joined the top 10 automotive brands, while Ford was the lone domestic automaker in the automotive top 10.

Taking into account all brand categories, the list is topped by Apple (valued at $182.9 billion), followed by IMB ($116 billion) and then Google ($107.9 billion). While the top automotive brand, BMW ranks just 23rd overall.

List of Most Valuable Automotive Brands:

1. BMW $24.6
2. Toyota $21.8
3. Mercedes $16.1
4. Honda $12.7
5. Nissan $9.9
6. VW $8.5
7. Ford $7.0
8. Audi $4.7
9. Hyundai $3.6
10. Lexus $3.4

[Source: AutoNews Europe]