Toyota Scores in Brand Perception Survey

For sure, people matter. And so does what they think. So when we found this interesting new survey of people’s views of various auto brands on the Web a while back, it caught our attention.

The survey found that in the categories of safety, quality, value, performance, "greenness," design and technological innovation, Toyota vehicles mostly placed in the top five and sometimes led the pack.

Here’s a quick run-down:

In the Safety category, the one the survey found to be the most important to those consumers who were questioned, Toyota scored fourth, ahead of Mercedes-Benz. Volvo led the category. Women found this category to be of the greatest importance, while men responding to the survey said that quality was the most important of the seven categories.

In the Quality category, Toyota is ranked in first place and Lexus in fourth place, ahead of Cadillac. Almost a quarter of those responding listed quality as the most important thing for which they look when buying a new car. Toyota, naturally, scores highly not only in terms of initial quality, but, more importantly, in terms of long-term quality, measured by an absence of problems after three years of ownership.

In the Value category, Toyota was listed as second. This is important, because, oddly, the brand that led this segment was not listed as a winner in any of the other categories. Nearly half of those who responded to the surveys said value was important to them as they decided upon a vehicle purchase. And more than a quarter of those surveyed listed Toyota as delivering the best value.

The Performance category was led by Porsche and BMW, with Toyota finishing in third position, thanks to what the survey report calls increasingly powerful and fuel-efficient drivetrains.

This will come as no surprise, we suspect – in the Green/Fuel Efficiency category, Toyota was first, and by a wide margin, beating the second-place finisher 48% to 31%, thanks, no doubt, to our extensive line of hybrid vehicles. And also thanks to frugalistas such as the Yaris, Matrix and Corolla.

In the Design/Style category, Toyota, ahem, wasn’t among the top five brands. Yes, we can already hear the snarky remarks about our styling. But Lexus, our premium brand, led that group, besting the other luxury brands listed – Cadillac, Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – by a significant margin.

The last category poled, Technology and Innovation, found Toyota in first place and Lexus in third place. This ranking is, without much doubt, at least partly the result of the technology and innovation found in our Hybrid Synergy Drive, the system that powers the Prius. But it’s probably also at least partly the result of technology such as the STAR safety systems; of VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing-intelligent), a system found on many of our engines; of our 8-speed Lexus transmission and much more.

What’s it all mean, then? It means that in the court of public opinion, apparently we rate pretty well in all the important categories. And that’s good to know, because what people think is what counts.

- Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road

Comments

[Antonio Bianchini]

I own Scion xB, 1.5L, 2005. I'm very happy, but I wished there were one or two extra sits, (retractable). There is enogh room on the back.
Gas price going up? Why built the new Scion 2009 with 2.2L engine? To get more power? For what? The 1.5L is sufficente for the High Way in America where the speed limit is not more of seventy mph.