Volkswagen Facebook rank
There is no direct correlation between vehicle sales and Facebook “likes,” as the chart below demonstrates.

A year or so ago, when queried about the controversial “spindle” grille treatment that was proliferating through the Lexus model lineup, a Lexus representative responded simply, “We’re just glad to be a part of the conversation.”

Per Lexus, the love-it/hate-it response to the new front fasciae was the subject of all sorts of chatter, especially in social media, and that sort of brand awareness is very difficult to come by.

To what extent carmakers assign assets toward building social-media awareness is difficult to assess, and likely varies greatly by brand. But what we can look at are the results of those efforts. Collected here is a list of auto brands ranked by the number of Facebook “likes” each has accumulated.

One of the first things we learn from this list is that there is no direct correlation between sales and Facebook likes. For example, while Toyota can boast fewer than 3 million likes, the nameplate was good for more than 2 million U.S. sales in 2015. Meanwhile, Ferrari, which sold just 2100 cars stateside last year, lays claim to more than 16 million Facebook likes.

More analysis can be done with these numbers. It would be interesting to know how difficult it is for a mainstream brand to court social media enthusiasm versus a brand with a luxury or performance fan base.

We’ve collected these numbers before. If you’d like to see how these same brands ranked back in 2014 and 2012, just follow those links.

 

Brand Facebook Likes
   Most-Popular Mainstream Brands
Volkswagen 26,632,490
Mercedes-Benz 20,115,041 Volkswagen 26,632,490
BMW 19,212,877 Nissan 16,173,500
Ferrari 16,220,806 Mini 10,954,813
Nissan 16,173,500 Jeep 4,880,901
Jaguar 14,681,061 Chevrolet 4,412,780
Land Rover 13,342,280
Lamborghini 11,959,518    Most-Popular American Brands
Mini 10,954,813
Porsche 10,435,303 Jeep 4,880,901
Audi 9,067,318 Chevrolet 4,412,780
Aston Martin 6,621,854 Ford 3,476,397
Maserati 5,069,214 Dodge 3,457,062
Jeep 4,880,901 Ford Trucks 1,679,329
Chevrolet 4,412,780
Bugatti 4,218,079    Most-Popular German Brands
Honda 4,114,384
Rolls-Royce 4,053,066 Volkswagen 26,632,490
Lexus 3,625,308 Mercedes-Benz 20,115,041
Ford 3,476,397 BMW 19,212,877
Dodge 3,457,062 Porsche 10,435,303
Infiniti 3,104,062 Audi 9,067,318
Toyota 2,866,822
Cadillac 2,807,841    Most-Popular Asian Brands
Bentley 2,292,421
Subaru 2,089,511 Nissan 16,173,500
Mitsubishi USA 2,033,111 Honda 4,114,384
Mazda 2,021,662 Lexus 3,625,308
Ram 1,870,327 Infiniti 3,104,062
Hyundai 1,858,303 Toyota 2,866,822
Ford Trucks 1,679,329
GMC 1,684,971    Most-Popular Truck Brands
Volvo 1,662,515
Tesla 1,563,534 Land Rover 13,342,280
Chevrolet Trucks 1,554,423 Jeep 4,880,901
Acura 1,021,170 Ram 1,870,327
Lincoln 950,659 Ford Trucks 1,679,329
Chrysler 911,801 GMC 1,684,971
Fiat USA 893,956
Kia 881,835    Most-Popular “New” Brands
Buick 708,548
Faraday Future 347,065 Tesla 1,563,534
Lotus 325,597 Fiat USA 893,956
Scion 244,165 Faraday Future 347,065
Karma 83,163 Karma 83,163
Mobility Ventures 26,359 Mobility Ventures 26,359
Genesis 7,670

Is There a “Jeep Curse?”

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