Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research's 'Brand Watch'

Kelley Blue Book and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research have just announced the final results of their 'Exterior Styling' study by their Brand Watch, part of its of its newest automotive research study.

The results are partially surprising however some are quite nearly obvious. Ford took home the honours in the truck category while Chrysler got the crown in the minivan group. The desirable brand that is BMW got the nod in the Luxury SUV and Sedan. Meanwhile, German super-hero make Porsche won in the Convertible/Sports Cars.

Convertibles/Sports Cars 

1. Porsche
2. Mercedes-Benz 
3. Jaguar 

Trucks

1. Ford
2. GMC
3. Chevrolet

Minivans

1. Dodge
2. Toyota
3. Honda

Luxury SUVs  

1. BMW  
2. Lexus  
3. Mercedes-Benz  

Non-Luxury SUVs

1. Ford
2. Toyota
3. GMC

Luxury Sedan

1. BMW
2. Mercedes-Benz
3. Infiniti

Non-Luxury Sedan

1. Nissan
2. Honda
3. Toyota

Everyone agrees that a car's exterior styling is a hugely important factor in the purchase of a new car. So much so that it can easily make the difference between buying the car you want and the car you need. We do find it odd that Mazda appears nowhere in the Blue Books analysis; Mazda is usually well appreciated for its forward-thinking designs.