Honda and Toyota Claim Second and Third; Volkswagen and GM Are the Biggest Movers; New Models Drive Buzz for the Top Auto Brands

JERICHO, NY – Ford is the top auto brand with $79.8M of Impact Media Value according to General Sentiment’s New Models Auto MediaMatch report. Honda ($73.6M), Toyota ($73.5M), Chrysler ($73.3M) and Dodge ($57.7M) complete the top five based on General Sentiment’s ranking of 36 auto brands according to Impact Media Value from June to August of 2012.

Honda and Toyota each claimed a spot at Chrysler’s expense. Dodge climbed three spots to number five, passing Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Chevrolet. Volkswagen and GM were the biggest movers. Volkswagen climbed from twelfth to sixth thanks to buzz around the changes to the Beetle and Golf models. GM moved up from eleventh to seventh as buzz surrounded the new Cadillac and Chevrolet models as well as Paul Ryan’s false attack against Obama in a speech.

“The new auto models and redesigns for 2013 are all the buzz online, and they significantly impacted the auto brands these past few months,” said Pete Moran, CEO of General Sentiment. “Brands like Volkswagen and GM gained considerable traction in our ranking because of new models. The social audience is a crucial one for the auto industry, and it should not be ignored.”

Below are details on what drove buzz for the top five auto brands:

1. Ford: Amidst the unveiling of 2013 models, Ford managed to maintain the top spot. The company redesigned its top-selling Fusion and Escape models this year and introduced the 2013 Ford CMAX lineup, which includes the C-MAX hybrid and the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. The C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid introduces a button that enables drivers to choose an electric-only driving mode.

2. Honda: Honda moved from third to second, taking the spot formerly occupied by Chrysler. The company redesigned its popular Accord model for 2013 while attempting to avoid eliciting any of the criticism it got for the Civic redesign. Honda did not significantly alter the Pilot, the CR-V or the Odyssey, which were the subject of minor pricing adjustments this year.

3. Toyota: Toyota gained a spot, climbing up from fourth place. The company unveiled the refreshed 2013 Mark sports sedan and introduced the redesigned Auris hatchback and a remodeled Porte compact. Toyota also announced it would build a limited edition model based on the 2012 Camry SE sport sedan.

4. Chrysler: Chrysler fell behind both Honda and Toyota this time. The company made very few adjustments to the Chrysler 200 this year. The Chrysler 300 saw an increase in luxury features, but no redesign. The company added the option of including Blu-Ray players for the 2013 Town & Country.

5. Dodge: Dodge gained three spots, rising from eighth. The 2013 Dodge Dart (and the Dart R/T model in particular) has been the focus of most Dodge buzz. Dodge’s flagship pickup, the Ram 1500, also received an update for 2013.

Additionally, the report includes MediaMatch data for Ford. MediaMatch uses General Sentiment’s core social analytics platform to isolate audiences and identify the most suitable TV show or brand for any given advertiser.

The list below ranks the top television show matches based on overlap with the Ford audience, which contains 172,941 Twitter users:
1. Stars Earn Stripes
2. Hotel Hell
3. Top Gear
4. Undercover Boss
5. Sons of Guns

To download a copy of the New Models Auto MediaMatch report, visit: http://www.generalsentiment.com/mvreport/new-models-auto-mediamatch.html.

About General Sentiment
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