Kelley Blue Book has just announced its 2016 Brand Image Award winners, and while Toyota is surprisingly absent from the list (if you don’t count its luxury division Lexus), Subaru pulled off an impressive feat by earning half the awards in the non-luxury category including Best Overall Brand, Most Trusted Brand, and Best Performance Brand.
These awards recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public. They are based on consumer automotive perception data from KBB Strategic Insights' Brand Watch study, using criteria such as affordability, comfort, performance, reliability, styling, fuel efficiency, interior layout, and safety.
Here are the 2016 Brand Image Award winners according to KBB:
Non-Luxury Brands
- Best Overall Brand: Subaru
- Most Trusted Brand: Subaru
- Best Value Brand: Honda
- Most Refined Brand: GMC
- Best Performance Brand: Subaru
- Best Car Styling Brand: Chrysler
Truck Brand
- Best Overall Truck Brand: Ford
Luxury Brands
- Best Overall Luxury Brand: Lexus
- Most Trusted Luxury Brand: Lexus
- Best Value Luxury Brand: Buick
- Most Refined Luxury Brand: Mercedes-Benz
- Best Performance Luxury Brand: Porsche
- Best Car Styling Luxury Brand: Jaguar