Tesla falls out of Interbrand's Top 100 global brands ranking

Fifteen car-making giants listed among the Top 100 highest value global brands, according to rankings published by global brand specialist Interbrand.

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz were the only car brands to make the top 10, at seventh and eighth respectively, behind Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Samsung, and ahead of Facebook and McDonalds.

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According to the prestigious rankings, Toyota’s brand value rose six percent in 2018 to A$75.6 billion, after a dip last year, falling short of its $83 billion high in 2016. The Japanese carmaker, whose Corolla, Camry and Hilux dominate markets around the world, has doubled in value since 2010.

Mercedes-Benz has also seen steady growth since 2010, when it was worth $35.6 billion, to its $69 billion current value. Mercedes-Benz is 2.0 percent from last year, enough to overtake Facebook which enjoyed 48 percent growth in 2016 and 2017, but fell by six percent in 2018.

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Volkswagen Automotive Group’s main brands Volkswagen (41), Audi (42) and Porsche (52) held up the middle of the list, a sign that they’ve put the Dieselgate scandal well and truly behind them. Volkswagen is now worth $17.7 billion, still shy of its $19.4 billion high in 2014, but six percent up from 2017.

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BMW again held down 13th place, between IBM and Disney, and was the only brand to record a drop in value since last year, down one percent to $41 billion.

Interestingly, the fastest growing automotive brand was Ferrari, which rose by 18 percent to $8.2 billion. The Italian supercar maker re-entered the list last year at 88, after dropping out in 2014, and now sits in 80th position.

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Hyundai also continues to grow from strength to strength since it leapt into the top-100 list in 2005 in 84th place worth $4.9 billion. It’s now the sixth-biggest motoring brand, placed 36th on the list and valued at $19.1 billion.

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Ford has enjoyed more modest, but steady, growth since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis where its worth dipped to from $51.5 billion in 2000 to $9.9 billion in 2008. It’s now valued just under $20 billion and sits a place above Hyundai, but behind the likes of Budweiser ($22.1), fashion house Hermes Paris ($23.2b) and Pampers nappies ($23.5b).

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Other brands to make the list include Honda in 20th place, Nissan (40), Kia (71), Land Rover (78) and Mini (90). Subaru snuck into the list for the first time to be the 100th most valuable global brand, worth $5.9 billion.

Notable omissions include Tesla, which defied the overall rise of tech companies to drop out of the list after two years in the top 100. None of General Motors’ brands made the cut either, which suggests that while brands like Chevrolet and Cadillac are big in America, they are not significant global players.

For all their history, bricks-and-mortar assets, intellectual property, and tangible high-value products they produce, even the most successful motoring brands are worth a fraction of the tech giants, not least Apple whose value rose by 16 percent compared to 2017 to $303.5 billion.

Google’s $220 billion is 10 percent up from last year, while Amazon was the top growing global company during the past 12 months, rocketing up 56 percent to $142.6 billion, to overtake Microsoft ($131.2b) and Coco-Cola ($93.9b) for third spot.

The Interbrand rankings rate brands based on financial analysis, their role, and their strength and recognition. Factors such as corporate governance and responsiveness to market changes are also assessed, as are how the brands are perceived externally for things such as relevance, customer engagement and consistency.

Only companies with a truly global presence, with at least 30 percent of revenue generated outside their home market, are assessed.

Top carmakers according to Interbrand 100

• 7. Toyota - $75.6b +6% (compared to 2017)
• 8. Mercedes-Benz - $68.8b +2%
• 13. BMW - $58b -1%
• 20. Honda - $33.5b +4%
• 35. Ford - $19.8b +3%
• 36. Hyundai - $19.1b +3%
• 40. Nissan - $17.3b +6%
• 41. Volkswagen - $17.3b +6%
• 42. Audi - $17.2b +1%
• 52. Porsche - $15.2b +6%
• 71. Kia - $9.8b +4%
• 78. Land Rover - $8.8b +2%
• 80. Ferrari - $8.6b +18%
• 90. Mini - $7.4b +3%
• 100. Subaru - $6.0b New to list