Performance

Toyota again ranked third. While the Toyota may not currently offer high-performance models, the automaker has consistently increased the power output of its engines while emphasizing fuel economy. In particular, the Prius hybrid has helped to change the way consumers look at vehicle performance, and its effect can be seen in Toyota's leadership as a "green" brand.

Chevrolet and Ford round out the top five. Those brands most likely benefit from the halo effect of their performance cars, including the Chevy Corvette and new revitalized Camaro, and the Ford Mustang. They also offer strong V6 and V8 engines in a number of mainstream models and popular lines of pickup trucks. Further, they foster a performance image in high-profile motorsports, such as NASCAR and NHRA drag racing.

Environmentally friendly/green

Toyota saw its percentage climb slightly this year, most likely driven by the redesigned Prius hybrid. In our testing, we found that the new Prius brings several incremental improvements over the laudable second-generation car, and it has the best fuel economy of any current vehicle we have tested.

In contrast, Honda's percentage score dropped eight points, from last year's 31 to this year's 23, despite introducing its Prius competitor, the Insight hybrid. Although the Insight scored too low in our tests to be recommended, Honda's line of cars does include a number of models, such as the Civic and Fit, that are very fuel efficient for their class.

Ford and Subaru each advanced in this factor, with Ford possibly fueled by its new Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, and the sales that the Cash for Clunkers program brought for its Focus, Escape hybrid, and Fusion Hybrid models.

Chevrolet heavily marketed the fuel-economy rating of its new, larger Equinox crossover and the promise of coming models, such as the Cruze, Spark, and Volt plug-in hybrid. The Chevrolet messages clearly resonated with consumers, despite the fact that its current line up was largely unchanged and unremarkable in the green arena during 2009.

Subaru earned its advancement with mileage improvements in its latest vehicles, aided by a continuously variable transmission. Despite being larger this year, the Legacy and Outback deliver notably improved fuel economy.

Design/style

Luxury brands continue to dominate consumer perceptions for design and style, with Lexus, Cadillac, and Mercedes-Benz again claiming the top spots. But Lexus and Cadillac have lost percentage points compared with the previous year, when they earned 32 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

Jaguar slid from the top five, falling 13 percentage points to a score of only 10 despite fresh products. Now owned by Tata Motors, Jaguar has retired its dated models and with them, some classic profiles. Today's line up includes the XK coupe and convertible, all-new XF sedan, and coming redesigned XJ sedan—all modern, sophisticated machines. The change in its score this year may have more to do with brand visibility than a design critique.

Chevrolet joins the top-five ranks for 2010, making a five percentage point increase over last year. On the design front, the sharp-edged Equinox gives the brand a much more competitive crossover than before, but it may be more the reborn Camaro muscle car that has raised the brand's design perception. The new Camaro updates the three-box design from the 1967-1969 version, then wraps it in a brash body that looks much like the concept car seen on the show circuit and in the "Transformers" movies.

Technology/innovation

Toyota again leads in technology/innovation, with the redesigned Prius and other hybrid models probably solidifying its place in this category. But, except for Toyota, there is not a lot of range in the scores for this category.

Benefiting from a three-point increase, Mercedes-Benz jumped from sixth place last year to second this year. The company has aggressively sought to put leading-edge technology in its premium automobiles.

Lexus declined slightly, from 22 percent last year to 19 this year. The brand also offers advanced technology in its vehicles, with sophisticated entertainment and safety systems, several hybrid powertrains, and, introduced last year, the first self-parking car.

Fueling its overall rise in brand perception, Ford gained a notable six percentage points this year. Ford has been developing and promoting its Sync information and entertainment system, which provides an increasing array of music playback, voice recognition, and connectivity features. In addition, Ford introduced the Fusion hybrid last year, with an innovative, driver-configurable LCD dashboard. On the truck side, the Works Solutions option provides handy features for commercial users, including an RFID tool inventory tracker and GPS-enabled fleet management.

Honda again made the cut, probably spurred by its continued emphasis on fuel-efficient, low-emissions powertrains and its new Insight hybrid.