Toyota top car brand in SA

Toyota's overall brand relationship score in the "cars" category was 34.3%. compared to 27.7% for BMW. 18.5% for Mercedes Benz and 13.3% for Volkswagen. (Markinor's "brand relationship" rating is calculated on the basis of a brand's top-of-mind awareness. brand loyalty. trust and confidence).

Both Toyota and BMW improved on their 2002 scores significantly. by 2.3% and 2.7% respectively, with Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen making small gains.

The positions of the top four car companies was the same as in 2002. while in 2001 Volkswagen had been in third place, with Mercedes Benz fourth.

The rankings of the other six companies in the top 10 were Mazda, Ford, Nissan, Isuzu, Honda and Opel.

Not only is Toyota the top car company in terms of overall brand relationship - it is the only car company among the top 10 brands in overall ranking of the "most admired" companies in South Africa - a table that was once again headed by Coca-Cola. Toyota ranked ninth.

Toyota was also the only car company represented in the new category of "companies that have done most to uplift the lives of South Africans", placing tenth on a table headed by Eskom

Toyota was far and away the leader in terms of "weighted brand awareness" in the "car brand" category. was second behind joint leaders BMW and Mercedes Benz in "weighted trust/confidence" and second behind BMW in terms of "brand loyalty".

This is the third year that the annual Markinor survey has included "brand loyalty" as a factor in compiling the overall brand relationship scores.

This means the latest results are not comparable with similar surveys conducted by Markinor between 1992 and 2000, when Toyota was also the top motor company for many years.

This year's Markinor survey involved one-on-one interviews with 3 498 people - 1 998 in metropolitan areas and 1 500 in non-metropolitan areas.

The results were then weighted to represent a total of 28 913 000 South African adults. The interviews were conducted during March and April this year. A total of 20 categories were surveyed this year.