TOYOTA is the world’s most valuable car brand.
That’s the verdict of leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance as the car makers gather in Geneva for the first major European car show of the year.
In the Brand Finance annual review of the state of automobile brands, Toyota remains top with a brand value of US$35 billion.
However Brand Finance warns that brand value growth this year has been flat and Toyota is now at risk of being overtaken by all three major German auto brands that are racing up behind the Japanese auto giant: BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.
Electric car maker Tesla is the sector’s top performer; its brand value has more than doubled, from US$1.2 billion in early 2014 to US$2.6 billion now. However Brand Finance points to the falling oil price, reducing demand for electric vehicles, and recent stock price jitters make the coming year less certain for Tesla.
Top six car makers by value
- Toyota
- BMW
- Volkswagen
- Mercedes-Benz
- Honda
- Ford
Source: Brand Finance.
The full list of the most valuable car brands can be found at Auto 100 2015.