Kelley Blue Book has released its year-end statistics of the most-researched new vehicles on its website, and import models have dominated the rankings yet again. Honda and Toyota are the big winners here, with the Civic and Accord earning the top 2 top spots overall and Toyota grabbing an entire half of the top ten with Nissan and Mazda each sneaking in a lone model to round it out. Interestingly, the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram (in fact, there are no Chrysler products listed at all) are conspicuously absent from the top 20, despite selling in huge quantities. We know that pickup buyers tend to be extremely loyal shoppers, but the lack of trucks still strikes us as a bit odd. There were a few bright spots for the U.S. Domestic automakers, including the Ford Escape, which has been completely gone through over the past two model years and is the most-searched American car on KBB and the Chevy Malibu, which is the most-viewed American sedan. Also performing fairly well was the Mustang, a car that's perennially on the wish-lists of gearheads all over the country.
Next Monday is Memorial Day, which many think of as the official start of the summer driving season. That means it's time to pack your families and all their associated gear in the family truckster family sedan and head out to see the relatives. We've already seen one set of choices for the best vehicle with which to hit the open road, and now Kelley Blue Book has decided to throw its hat in the ring as well. They cover all the bases, so regardless of the size of your clan, you'll be sure to find a recommendation that suits you. Some of their choices, like the Grand Caravan sitting at number five, seem pretty obvious and would likely make for a smooth trip. If smoothness isn't really your thing, perhaps the Bugatti Veyron, number two on KBB's list, would be a better choice. Too fuel thirsty for your pocketbook? Consider the Prius at number nine.
While it may seem that the coolest cars are only available to those with means, the industry continues to compete most heavily in their largest volume segments. The result is that there is a wealth of "cool cars" available for less than $18,000, and Kelly Blue Book has compiled a list of their top ten for 2008.
The list – composed mainly of domestics and Japanese automobiles – includes the Ford Focus, Honda Fit, Jeep Patriot, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Pontiac Vibe, Scion xB, Subaru Impreza, Suzuki SX4 and Volkswagen Rabbit. Several of the cars stayed on the list from last year, however some are newcomers to the Blue Book ranking. Among the factors KBB included in their decision were safety, fuel economy, interior size, comfort, technology, fun-to-drive and the intangible "cool" factor. KBB also notes that many of the vehicles on the list are packed with features like sat-nav, music drives, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, push-button start and leather seating. While many of those features – like the push-button ignition and iPod connector – cost close to nothing for carmakers to include, many of the features were only available on top-of-the-line luxury automobiles just a few years ago.
Automakers work very hard at the branding process, which takes years and years of effort to achieve. For instance, when a consumer hears Porsche, he or she likely sthink of sports cars and iconic design principles -- despite the fact that the German brand sells plenty of SUVs, too. And when a brand starts to get a negative image, it can take years to overcome that bad stigma -- just ask Ford. So, with all of this in mind, Kelley Blue Book has announced the winners of its 2008 Brand Image Awards, which are based on consumer perception studies of which KBB keeps track.
The big winners this year are Toyota for "Best Overall Interior Design", BMW for "Best Overall Exterior Design" and Mercedes-Benz for "Best Overall Prestige Brand". We would have expected Audi to do well in the interior design category, but these awards are not based on reality, but perception instead. For a complete run-down of the awards, we've included the press release after the break.
