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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.

BMW's Domagoj Dukec on the 4 Series Convertible [w/Video]

BMW's head of exterior design Domagoj Dukec has explained how the 4 Series Convertible's design sets it apart from the 3 Series in a new video. Dukec says that aside from the fact the 4 Series Convertible is visibly wider than its predecessor with an increased track and wheelbase, its design is unique. While describing the changes to features such as the kidney grille, headlamps and the lines running down the hood, Dukec also compares it to the coupé.

SRT Viper gets refresh in 2015, product plan shows

Chrysler Group will bolster the Fiat brand but has dropped plans to add Fiat-derived small cars for Chrysler and Dodge this year, according to a new long-range product plan revealed Wednesday. The new plan updates Chrysler's five-year North American product outlook that it presented in November 2009. The update extends the outlook into 2016.