Kia Motors Corporation today entered the exclusive list of the ‘Top 100 Best Global Brands,’ according to the 2012 study released Interbrand, the world’s largest brand consultancy agency.
Interbrand sights Kia’s advances in product quality, design and innovative marketing as key factors for Kia’s dramatic brand value increase. Interbrand also points out that Kia has built a particularly strong connection with Millennials and Gen Y audiences.
Kia has an estimated brand value of $4.1 billion USD, which sees it placed at 87th place on the ‘Top 100 Best Global Brands’ list.
This is marks a 50% increase from last year’s estimated brand value and far exceeds the average automotive brand value growth rate of 11%.
According to Kia, the strong increase in Kia’s brand value closely mirrors the company’s recent surge in global sales, which have posted three consecutive double-digit year-or-year gains to cement Kia’s position as the world’s fastest growing major automotive brand. Over this three year period (2008-2011), Kia’s annual global sales have grown by 81% to nearly 2.5 million units.
Other car companies which made it into the ‘Top 100 Best Global Brands’ are listed below in order of ranking.
| Brand | Ranking |
| Toyota | 10 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 11 |
| BMW | 12 |
| Honda | 21 |
| Ford | 45 |
| Hyundai | 53 |
| Audi | 55 |
| Nissan | 73 |
| Kia | 87 |
| Harley Davidson | 96 |
| Ferrari | 99 |
Source: Interbrand
