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Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are top global car brands

Toyota & Mercedes-Benz are the Top Global Automotive Brands 2011 Interbrand, a branding consultancy, delivers a report on the world’s brands every year, and in 2011, despite recall woes and the devastation of the Japanese Tsunami, Toyota leads the automotive brands, with luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz just behind. Interbrand uses three measures to gauge how effective a brand is – performance of branded product, the brands ability to secure earnings and the role of the brand in purchasing decisions – to come up with a chart of the top 100 world brands. At the top of the tree are companies like Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft and Google, but car brands do well with Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, VW, and Ford all making it in to the top 50.

Company cars linked to speeding

COMPANY CAR drivers are far more likely to exceed the 70mph motorway speed limit than private motorists, according to an RAC survey. As many as 88% of those behind the wheel in firms' vehicles regularly exceed the limit compared with 67% of private motorists. Also, 62% of company of company car drivers said they reached speeds of 80mph on motorways, almost double that of regular motorists (32%).

Mercedes' Wolff says Hamilton Rosberg rivalry won't boil over

MERCEDES motorsport boss Toto Wolff is confident the simmering rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will not boil over and has revealed the pair may be allowed to duel for the Formula One title. German Rosberg leads the drivers' standings on 202 points, with Briton Hamilton 11 points behind and their nearest rival Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) a further 60 points adrift. Mercedes have won nine of the 11 grands prix this season and it appears Rosberg and Hamilton, whose relationship has been frosty of late, are in pole position for the title.