Toyota again named world's most valuable car brand

According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Toyota is once again the world's most valuable automotive brand.

Interbrand has released what it believes are the world's top 100 brands by dollar value, and while Silicon Valley alumni Apple, Google and Amazon sit at the top of the list, Toyota's seventh place is a pretty decent showing.

The top 10 overall brands in order were Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Facebook and McDonalds.

However, automotive brands have the highest representation in the top 100, with 16 vehicle brands compared to 13 tech companies and 12 financial service providers.

The top 10 automotive brands in the report are:

1. Toyota
2. Mercedes-Benz
3. BMW
4. Honda
5. Ford
6. Hyundai
7. Nissan
8. Volkswagen
9. Audi
10. Porsche

Ford was the only American car-maker in the top 100, while Korean brands Kia and Hyundai both made the grade in 71st and 36th positions respectively.

The other automotive brands in the top 100 were Land Rover (78), Ferrari (80), MINI (90), Harley-Davidson (93) and, for the first time, Subaru (100).

Interbrand says social media analysis played a big part in its latest rankings, and its valuation methodology also factoring in the financial performance, competitive strength, customer loyalty and innovation.

There are several annual 'brand value' reports, including one by Kantar Millward Brown, but the latest report from Interbrand contradicts another from Brand Finance, which put Mercedes-Benz above Toyota.

"A decade after the global financial crisis, the brands that are growing fastest are those that intuitively understand their customers and make brave iconic moves that delight and deliver in new ways," said Interbrand’s global CEO, Charles Trevail.