Ford Brand Slips Back To Second Place For Non-Luxury Shoppers

Until Q4 of last year, Toyota had held the distinction of being the top car brand for non-luxury shoppers for nearly four consecutive years in Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch study. The Japanese automaker lost that honor, however, as Ford rallied from its spot in second place to take the number one spot away from Toyota in a bit of a coup as The Blue Oval continues to conquest owners from other brands in large numbers. However, the Ford brand slipped back to second place in the first quarter of 2022, according to KBB’s latest Brand Watch report.

It’s still a strong result for Ford, unlike Lincoln, which has now lost consideration among luxury buyers for two consecutive quarters. In Q1, the Ford brand dropped from a 33 percent consideration score to 32 percent, while Toyota gained two percentage points from 32 to 34 percent to retake the lead. Meanwhile, Chevrolet picked up serious steam, gaining five percentage points to go from 25 to 30 percent to come in third place.

According to KBB, Chevy’s climb was spurred by a 33 percent jump in consideration for the Silverado pickup, a 64 percent boost in consideration for the Silverado HD models, a 61 percent rise for the Tahoe, and the announcement of the Silverado EV, which occurred during the first quarter as well. From the top three, there’s a rather steep drop-off, as Honda took fourth place with a consideration score of 23 percent.

The Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch Report is a consumer perception survey that also weaves in shopping behavior to determine how a brand or model stacks up with its segment competitors on a dozen factors key to a consumer’s buying decision. KBB produces separate Brand Watch reports for non-luxury and luxury brands each quarter.

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