Brand and marketing consultancy Prophet polled 4,900 U.S. consumers about 145 Fortune 500 companies from 18 different sectors (no, those are not all carmakers), and the numbers reveal that most automakers are more highly regarded now than they were in the past.
The results show that BMW and Honda are leading the pack, both ending up in the top 50 overall. Ford finished 60th, which is up from 72nd in 2009. Meanwhile, General Motors, made one of the biggest leaps, from 123 to 85, in part due to its new-found green image. Removing some brands from the lineup also helped, as the giant was more willing to focus on improved quality and reliability.
The biggest surprise that isn’t really a surprise is Toyota. Due to ongoing woes with multiple product recalls caused it to fall from its leading reputation spot at 18 to a failing one at 139, near the bottom of the 2010-2011 list.
“Ford, which just reported market share gains and the highest profits in 13 years, saw high marks on product-related reputation drivers, said Smith. He attributed much of that to the new Ford Fiesta and its unique product features. Ford ranked first among all automobile companies on innovation-related reputation drivers. Its refusal of the federal bailout also likely contributed to its strong scores on qualities of leadership, transparency, and ethics,” the official press release states.
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