London-based research firm Brand Finance has released its 2025 Brand Finance report, ranking the world’s leading automotive brands. Toyota emerged as the most valuable brand in the sector, while electric vehicle maker Tesla dropped to fourth place.
According to the report, Toyota’s brand value was estimated at $64.7 billion, maintaining its position at the top of the automotive rankings. Tesla’s brand value, meanwhile, declined by over 26% year-over-year, falling from $58.3 billion in early 2024 to $43 billion in early 2025. This decline allowed Mercedes-Benz and the Hyundai Group to surpass Tesla in the rankings.
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The rankings consider various factors, including stock performance, sales figures, customer feedback, and insights from approximately 175,000 respondents. Of these, around 16,000 shared their views specifically on Tesla. Brand Finance CEO David Haigh attributed Tesla’s decline to factors such as the public perception of CEO Elon Musk, whose political views have drawn both strong support and criticism.
“There are people who think he’s wonderful, but many that don’t. If you are buying electric vehicles, his persona is highly likely to impact your view of whether or not you want to buy one of his company’s cars, but that’s only one of many factors,” Haigh noted.
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To regain momentum, Haigh suggested Tesla focus on launching innovative products and addressing reputational challenges. “Unless Tesla can come up with a whole range of new products that will really excite consumers, and unless they can mitigate some of the antagonism caused by their leader, they will be seen as past their peak and will begin to go down,” he said.
Source: CNBC
