Top 10: Coolest automotive brands
The dictionary definition of ‘cool’ is fashionably attractive or impressive. That makes it an entirely subjective thing, so attempting to come up with a list of what’s cool (or not) is bound to cause some disagreement.
Moreover, trying to apply the ‘cool’ label to brands is particularly difficult, because everyone’s perception and experience of them will be totally personal.
Nevertheless, gauging the coolness of brands is exactly what the annual CoolBrands survey endeavours to do. Administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis, it canvasses both an ‘Expert Council’ of 37 opinion formers and almost 3,000 British adults.
Each respondent is asked to rate a shortlist of 1,150 brands from 1 to 10, bearing in mind six attributes: authenticity, desirability, innovation, originality, style and uniqueness.
The results for the 2013/14 study have just been published, with only two automotive companies - Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz - represented in the top twenty league table.
Aston Martin invariably scores highly in this type of exercise, so its inclusion comes as no surprise. Whether that indicates a herd-like mentality or a lack of imagination on the part of those polled is debateable, but undoubtedly Aston Martin remains an attractive brand.
But are there cooler car or motorcycle marques?
As a starting point to answer that question, only those manufacturers with a consistently desirable model range should be worthy of consideration. Admittedly it’s a harsh condition, as plenty of contenders are instantly excluded - even if they build some cool products.
A good example is Fiat. The 500 might be deemed extremely trendy, but the Bravo and Qubo really aren’t. So overall, Fiat can’t be described as a cool brand.
On that basis, here’s an alternative list of the top ten coolest automotive brands. The same six criteria used by CoolBrands have been applied to arrive at the ranking.
First place goes to Morgan, which is hard to beat for uniqueness, originality and authenticity. And yet the Worcestershire-based business can still innovate, as demonstrated by the likes of the 3 Wheeler and latest Plus 8 with its aluminium chassis.
Runner-up is Land Rover, a brand that gains a lot of points for innovation and authenticity, while Rolls-Royce completes the top three. Aston Martin appears in fourth spot thanks mainly to its cars’ desirability and style (despite the Cygnet).
However, there’s no sign of Mercedes-Benz. Yes, the Stuttgart firm makes some extremely accomplished vehicles, but efforts like the B-Class, GL-Class and van-based Viano let the side down when it comes to general coolness.
Related posts:
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Top 10: Chic cars for £20k
75 years of the Morgan 4/4
Moreover, trying to apply the ‘cool’ label to brands is particularly difficult, because everyone’s perception and experience of them will be totally personal.
Nevertheless, gauging the coolness of brands is exactly what the annual CoolBrands survey endeavours to do. Administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis, it canvasses both an ‘Expert Council’ of 37 opinion formers and almost 3,000 British adults.
Each respondent is asked to rate a shortlist of 1,150 brands from 1 to 10, bearing in mind six attributes: authenticity, desirability, innovation, originality, style and uniqueness.
The results for the 2013/14 study have just been published, with only two automotive companies - Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz - represented in the top twenty league table.
| 2013/14 CoolBrands Survey - Top 20 Brands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Brand | Category |
| 1 | Apple | Technology - General |
| 2 | Aston Martin | Automotive |
| 3 | Rolex | Fashion - Accessories, Jewellery and Watches |
| 4 | Nike | Sportswear and Equipment |
| 5 | Glastonbury | Attractions and The Arts - Events |
| 6 | YouTube | Music and Movie Streaming |
| 7 | Media - Networks, Platforms and Providers | |
| 8 | Social Media | |
| 9 | Virgin Atlantic | Travel - General |
| 10 | Ray-Ban | Fashion - Accessories, Jewellery and Watches |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz | Automotive |
| 12 | Bang and Olufsen | Technology - Audio |
| 13 | Chanel | Fashion - Clothing |
| 14 | Prada | Fashion - Clothing |
| 15 | Adidas | Sportswear and Equipment |
| 16 | BBC iPlayer | Music and Movie Streaming |
| 17 | Sony | Technology - General |
| 18 | Sony Music | Media - Production |
| 19 | Alexander McQueen | Fashion - Clothing |
| 20 | Spotify | Music and Movie Streaming |
Aston Martin invariably scores highly in this type of exercise, so its inclusion comes as no surprise. Whether that indicates a herd-like mentality or a lack of imagination on the part of those polled is debateable, but undoubtedly Aston Martin remains an attractive brand.
+Front+Side+2.jpg "Aston Martin Vanquish Volante (2014) Front Side") |
| Aston Martin: The coolest automotive brand according to CoolBrands. |
But are there cooler car or motorcycle marques?
As a starting point to answer that question, only those manufacturers with a consistently desirable model range should be worthy of consideration. Admittedly it’s a harsh condition, as plenty of contenders are instantly excluded - even if they build some cool products.
A good example is Fiat. The 500 might be deemed extremely trendy, but the Bravo and Qubo really aren’t. So overall, Fiat can’t be described as a cool brand.
On that basis, here’s an alternative list of the top ten coolest automotive brands. The same six criteria used by CoolBrands have been applied to arrive at the ranking.
| Autoesque - Top 10 Coolest Automotive Brands | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Brand |
| 1 | Morgan |
| 2 | Land Rover |
| 3 | Rolls-Royce |
| 4 | Aston Martin |
| 5 | MV Agusta |
| 6 | Jaguar |
| 7 | Ducati |
| 8 | Harley-Davidson |
| 9 | McLaren |
| 10 | Triumph |
First place goes to Morgan, which is hard to beat for uniqueness, originality and authenticity. And yet the Worcestershire-based business can still innovate, as demonstrated by the likes of the 3 Wheeler and latest Plus 8 with its aluminium chassis.
 |
| Morgan: Cooler than Aston Martin. |
Runner-up is Land Rover, a brand that gains a lot of points for innovation and authenticity, while Rolls-Royce completes the top three. Aston Martin appears in fourth spot thanks mainly to its cars’ desirability and style (despite the Cygnet).
However, there’s no sign of Mercedes-Benz. Yes, the Stuttgart firm makes some extremely accomplished vehicles, but efforts like the B-Class, GL-Class and van-based Viano let the side down when it comes to general coolness.
Related posts:
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
Gulf Morgan 3 Wheeler
Top 10: Chic cars for £20k
75 years of the Morgan 4/4
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