Exposed: the world’s most valuable car brands
“Technology brands proceed to rank as the most valuable in the world with nine of the top 15,” said senior editor, Kurt Badenhausen, when releasing details of the Forbes top one hundred most valuable brands in the world. The cumulative value of the one hundred companies is a staggering $1.95 trillion, with Apple completing top for the seventh straight year.
One automotive brand shows up in the top Ten, with just eleven in the overall top 100. To provide some context, Apple is valued at $170 billion, some $70 billion ahead of 2nd place Google. We expose the car brands in switch roles order, along with their overall ranking in the Forbes top 100.
68. Hyundai: $8.9 billion
Forbes valued more than two hundred global brands on their financial merits, analysing three years of revenue and earnings. The average price-to-earnings numerous was applied to arrive at the final brand value.
Hyundai is ranked 68th, with a brand value of $8.9 billion, up 10% since the previous year. The Korean giant has since seen its profits halved to the lowest level since 2010, with retail sales in China, the world’s largest car market, falling 29% in the very first half of 2017. The company is also suffering a decline in the US, its 2nd largest market.
67. Nissan: $9 billion
Nissan is ranked one place and $0.1 billion higher than Hyundai, with Forbes valuing the Japanese company at $9 billion. Nissan has two key products in its portfolio: the Qashqai to capitalise on the burgeoning crossover segment, and the Leaf to rail on the coattails of an expected rise in EV sales.
“By 2020, where the market conditions are right, I’m certain we’ll be selling up to 20% of our volume as zero emissions and this will only grow,” said Gareth Dunsmore, electrified vehicle director for Nissan Europe.
64. Lexus: $9.1 billion
Lexus has released figures showcasing that 63% of its cars sold across Europe are hybrids, while in Western Europe, the hybrid mix is a staggering 99%. Its best-seller is the NX, followed by the RX, as crossovers and SUVs proceed to sweep all before them.
In the US, NX sales are up 13% for its best-ever June, up 11.7% year-to-date, while the RX spotted a build up of Four.5% in June. “It’s no surprise that our luxury utility vehicles are driving Lexus sales, and our NX is on fire,” said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager.
60. Porsche: $9.6 billion
About two decades ago, Porsche was a company in crisis, facing plummeting sales and falling revenue. Something had to switch, so out went the air-cooled 911, substituted by the water-cooled nine hundred ninety six of 1997. More significant was the arrival of the Boxster, followed by the Cayenne of two thousand three and Panamera of 2010.
SUVs and four-door saloons might upset the purists, but their popularity enables Porsche to do stupid things with the 911. Lutz Meschke, Porsche’s executive board member and global CFO, told Forbes: “It’s significant to be seen as a sports car company, not as a SUV company.”
57. Chevrolet: $Ten.Three billion
General Motors, the largest carmaker in the US, is facing troubled times, with Reuters reporting that six slow-selling models are facing the axe. These include three Chevrolet models: Volt, Impala and Sonic.
Cumulative US sales dropped 6.4% to 169,942 units in June 2017, with year-to-date sales down Trio.78%. The Bolt EV has accumulated sales of 7,592 so far in 2017, which doesn’t look good in the face of 400,000 pre-orders for the Tesla Model Trio.
39. Ford: $13.8 billion
Ford announced stronger than expected Q2 earnings, despite a slowdown in the US market, where sales are expected to fall for the very first time since the Superb Depression. Sales of profitable Ford trucks contributed to a net income of $Two billion.
It’s the very first financial report since Jim Hackett substituted Mark Fields as CEO, amid concerns over depressed share values and a failure to substitute fresh technologies, such as autonomous vehicles.
37. Audi: $14.1 billion
Last year, Volkswagen was ranked 77th in the top 100, but this year the German giant is absent from the list, as the fallout from dieselgate resumes. There are no such issues for Audi, with its value holding sustained at $14.1 billion.
Audi has been compelled to stop selling some petrol-engined A4, S4, A5 and S5 models in Europe, as the actual fuel economy is higher than the official figure. The delay is expected to last for two months. Meantime, sales in China have been hit by a dispute with dealers, while a ‘sexist’ advertising campaign has led to a backlash against the brand.
26. Honda: $24 billion
Honda’s brand value has decreased by 5%, but it’s still way ahead of Audi. Earlier this month, Honda unveiled the fresh two thousand eighteen Accord, with its target set on the Toyota Camry. Historically, this would have been an significant fight, but four-door saloons are no longer a assured cash cow.
In fact, medium saloons now account for just Ten.7% of total US sales, down from 12% in two thousand sixteen and 16.6% in 2009.
21. BMW: $28.7 billion
The BMW Group, which includes BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, has reported its best ever June, with sales in the month totalling 232,620, a Two.1% increase year-on-year. It was also a record very first half-year for the brand, with sales up by Five.0% to a total of 1,220,819.
BMW has confirmed it will build an all-electric version of the MINI Hatch, with production beginning in 2019. The German brand expects electrified vehicles to account for 15-25% of sales by 2025.
17. Mercedes-Benz: $29.Two billion
An increase of 12% helped Mercedes-Benz to leapfrog BMW in the Forbes rankings, with a valuation of $29.Two billion. It sold 595,200 cars in Q2, thanks to a 28% rise in request in China, with request in Germany moderately higher.
Volkswagen and Daimler are embroiled in allegations that they and other German carmakers colluded to fix the price of diesel emissions treatment systems. If found guilty of infringing EU cartel rules, they could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
8. Toyota: $41.1 billion
Toyota’s brand value may have shrunk 2%, but it remains streets ahead of its nearest automotive rival and the only carmaker to feature in the top Ten. It is being reported that Toyota is working on a fresh type of battery that increases driving range and reduces charging time.
The fresh all-solid-state batteries could be introduced in 2020, promising super-fast recharge times of just a few minutes. The smaller and lighter batteries would revolutionise the EV sector.