Lexus most loved car brand according to study

New Media Metrics has awarded Lexus the top automotive spot in its LEAP index of most loved brands. The LEAP award stands for Leveraging Emotional Attachment for Profit. A fitting name, since after all, that is what luxury brands are all about. Only one other brand beat Lexus overall.

Since 2010 New Media Metrics has been applying its proprietary measurement system which ranks brands using a variety of categories to determine which brands have that special connection to buyers that makes them love the brand. The outcome of the algorithm used by New Media Metrics is a 0-10 ranking of the emotional attachment that buyers have towards the brands. Those who rank a brand 9 of 10 or higher are the most loyal prospects according to New Media Metrics. They are the most likely to buy. The ranking of the brands is by what percentage of possible buyers rate the brand a 9 or higher.

Forbes reviewed the LEAP study and includes a graph of all of the top 25 brands on its story site. The Lexus brand scored a 61%. That is second only to Apple iPhone, which scored 61.2%. Right behind Lexus and Apple iPhone are Disney Cruise Lines, Disney Parks and Google Search. The second and third most loved automotive brands are Jaguar (53.8%) and Audi (53.6%). Unlike many such lists, this one seems to have some common sense connection.

Lexus jumped up since last year, increasing its percentage by a whopping 18.7%. Some of the changes that Lexus underwent over the past 18 months are the introduction of the spindle grill, the new ES, GS, and IS launches, and the culmination of a very strong push to increase the luxuriousness of its dealerships across the US. Apparently, these things have scored well with its customer base and Lexus is on the right track.

Photo of the Intersect By Lexus Lounge are courtesy of the company’s media site.