America's Strongest Automakers

To compile our list of America's strongest automakers, we used brand-value data from Interbrand, a marketing firm with offices worldwide. We added scores from the 2009 Car Brands Perception Survey from Consumer Reports, green-efficiency and design ratings from J.D. Power and Associates, and domestic retail sales figures from January and February of 2009 (sales were weighted down so as not to override brand-value and consumer perception).

Each of those components hints at brand strength as a function of consumer loyalty, product quality, safety records and eco-friendliness. But the main factor that goes into building an auto brand admired by consumers is an intangible combination of them all: emotion.

Consumers rarely admit to buying something simply because it makes them feel good, Brown says, but it happens more often than not: "The reality is if [practicality] was really all that people cared about, then luxury sales wouldn't be strong at all, and everyone would ultimately be driving a minivan."

Leader of the Pack

Toyota earned the No. 1 slot on our list, due in large part to its Prius hybrid, which capitalized on Toyota's well-established reputation for reliability and then redefined the brand as earth-friendly. Four products from Toyota--the Highlander, Prius, RAV4 and Sienna--all earned "top-pick" status from Consumer Reports this year, the most of any one brand.



America's Strongest Automakers - Forbes.com