Home
Interbrand Ranks Toyota No.1 for 2011
In July 2011, Interbrand, the World’s biggest brand consultancy, ranked the Toyota brand as the number 1 most valuable and most green car manufacturer on the planet. Toyota was quickly followed by Mercedes Benz, BMW, Honda and VW. Audi, Hyundai, Porsche, Nissan and Ferrari made it into the top 100 companies worldwide. The details are here http://www.interbrand.com/en/knowledge/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2011.aspx
The volatility of the 2011 market has lead Interbrand to believe that companies’ resilience to market fluctuations is the key to staying afloat. The market place is changing as is the face of business.
The fast paced growth of the classic European market and the Chinese demand for American Automobiles has been the primary link to recovery.
The highlight of the show has to have been the Nissan Motor group making it into the top 100 companies (90th worldwide and 9th in the automotive field). Nissan was able to regroup and restock its inventory faster than its Japanese competitors after the devastating earthquake in March. It has increased its brand value like everyone else – resilience.
The Korean’s are not to be sneezed at in this area of growth and prosperity, as they showed the highest market growth over all other car makers with an astonishing 19% growth in one year. The Hyundai brand is a juggernaut with extremely high quality automobiles at a reasonable price. In today’s market place value for money is a winner.
With both an internal crisis of diminishing quality control in 2010 and an external earthquake crisis in 2011 the company dug in and focused on safety and quality modifications for its 2011 models. Add to that the implementation of a new strategy to capitalise on its world-renowned green efforts, Toyota weathered the storm beautifully to come out on top.
In fact, Interbrand named Toyota its overall, “Best Global Green Brand” ahead of 3M and Siemens. In fact, car manufacturers came out very ‘green’ indeed by filling 7 of the top 20 positions in this ranking.
Dash Design and Ergonomics
The words ‘interior design’ are two words you’d associate with renovating or building new homes, however they are also linked to a car’s cabin area. The interior of modern cars integrate sensational materials with new styles, new technology and superior comfort. You may have come across the term ‘ergonomics’. Ergonomics looks at how a person’s working environment fits around them. Ergonomics associated with a driver of a vehicle will look at how the car’s switchgear, instruments, features, dash and driving equipment situate themselves comfortably within the driver’s reach. These items also need to be easy to understand and simple to use. Flagship models are where you would expect to find the best materials (usually leather), the best technology, greater levels of luxury features and usually the greatest comfort. I’ve sought to look at a few of the latest flagship models on the market and rate them according to how their dash layout stacks up to being simple to use, nice to look at simple for the driver’s eyes to read. The ratings are from 1 to 3. A score of 3 means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is excellent; it also means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is easy to use and looks top notch. A score of 2 means that the car does a fair job of getting it all sorted. A score of 1 means that there is work to be done!
Alfa Romeo’s 159 flagship scores a 2. The car’s dash has a unique appearance with some nice circular air vents. The buttons for various features on the central console are pleasant to look at and use.
Audi’s flagship, the A8, scores a 2. The A8 has a smart looking dash with a very cool computer screen that flips up. A little fiddly.
BMW’s 7 series scores a 3. The layout is smart and very comfortable to use. BMW’s iDrive dial gives the luxurious 7 an uncluttered central console appearance making it simple and functional. The layout is easy on the eye.
Citroen’s C6 scores a 2, with its very stylish dash leading the way. Unfortunately the buttons are a bit fiddlier and require more concentration to use. The C6 interior is lovely, however.
Ford Falcon scores a 3. Smart, simple, clear switchgear and instrumentation look good and the bits and pieces are easy to use.
Holden’s Caprice scores a 2. I found the dash a bit on the dull side. However, the buttons were reasonably straightforward to use. The Caprice leather seats are lovely.
Honda’s Legend scores a 2. The Legend has a very beautiful dash design with excellent quality; however the layout is a bit complicated on the eye. Sumptuous materials and great seats give the Legend loads of comfort. There would be others that would give it a 3.
Hyundai’s Grandeur scores a 2. The dash has a simple and clean layout, but it has an overall bland appearance with the buttons being clustered.
Jaguar’s XJ scores a 3. Unique styling looks superb, and the layout is simple enough when you get used to it.
Range Rover’s Vogue has an opulent interior that feels kingly. The dash is a bit cluttered, while remaining relatively symmetric and sophisticated in most parts.
Slip into the Lexus LS, and the ergonomics are brilliant. With a score of 3, the LS has a lot of buttons – but they were very well laid out and clear. The dash looks good, too.
Mazda’s CX-9 was to score a 3. Here is a nice balanced dash and cockpit that is smart, clear and logical.
Mercedes Benz S-Class is luxurious. A score of 3 also meant that the dash was classy, simple, clear and uncluttered. The car is loaded with kit.
Mitsubishi’s Pajero Exceed scores a 2. Nice tone and design, however the switchgear is a bit fiddly to use.
Nissan’s Maxima Ti scored a 2 – bordering on a 1 – is a bit fiddly to use. Perhaps Nissan was trying too hard to be different, leading to cluttered switchgear – particularly around the computer screen. Others are sure to score it differently.
Peugeot’s 4007 scores a 3. Smart, easy to use, modern facia technology looks the part.
Porsche Panamera scored 2. The reasonably well ordered centre console has way too many buttons. This leads to a very cluttered appearance.
Renault gets it right with the Fluence. The Fluence dash has a nice layout that is easy to use, easy to live with and unique.
The Fluence scores a 3.
Saab’s 9-5 has excellent ergonomics and scores a 3. The driver of a 9-5 should feel very much in control of their surrounding cockpit. It is simple enough to use – though there are a few buttons. This is the car that makes the driver feel like they’re flying. All the bits and pieces are clear, and everything around the driver is organised in a very clear ergonomic fashion.
Skoda’s Superb scores 2. Buttons and switchgear are a bit hard to read. This lets down the car’s, otherwise, top build quality and nice materials.
Subaru’s Tribeca scores 2 – could be a 3 depending on taste. To me, the dash looks a bit like it’s sagging in the middle. Otherwise, the dash looks stylish and is refreshingly different. Switchgear and instrumentation is clear to read.
Toyota’s Aurion scores a 3 with the car’s smart simple layout.
Volkswagen’s Passat scores a 2 with its bland and fiddly interior. Everything else is impeccable.
Volvo’s S80 is very sumptuous and scores a 3. The nice layout is sophisticated but easy enough to use.
How Times Have Changed
In these times of political correctness and social acceptability, to say nothing of safety issues, it is sometimes amusing to reflect that it wasn’t always like this.
A case in point is a car ad that we came across recently. The car is a Czechoslovakian made Tatra 603 made 50 years ago. It has a heavy V8 lump of an engine mounted in the boot, yet still manages the most remarkable road-holding capabilities and, despite rolling down a mountainside, can still arrive at the bottom totally unscathed!
“Truth in Advertising” simply wasn’t a dictum then, so it still gives us a few minutes’ entertainmment and some wonderment looking at what they could get away with in this less restrictive advertising era.
The commercial is in two parts, both worth watching (if you have plenty of time to spare) so sit back and relax by clicking here
Ergonomics: The Science of Being Comfortable
You’re about to head home from work; you’ve had a long day at the office and you’re ready to put your feet up. Sinking back into leather seats is a great feeling, even cloth seats are fine because what you really need is supportive, relaxing seats for the drive home through congested traffic. Great seats and a comfortable driving position are important features for a great drive, but what can really add to the relaxed feel of driving is the car’s layout for the driver.
So what is ergonomics? To some it might sound like a word associated with flying and aeroplanes. Ergonomics does have links to an aeroplane’s cockpit, and so too can you use the word in association with the driver’s space inside a motor car. Ergonomics is all about the study of designing equipment and devices that fit well to the human body, its movements and its cognitive abilities.
Well designed cars consider the ergonomics related to the driver. Features like the steering wheel, indicators, switches for lights, fan and air-conditioning controls, audio unit switches, gear lever, central on-board computer controls, the alignment of the driver’s seat with the pedals, electric window switches and door handles should all be within easy reach of the driver.
The driving experience would be awful in a car that had switchgear and controls beyond the natural reach of the driver. A car that offered bad driving ergonomics might also be considered as being less safe than a car with good driving ergonomics because the driver’s attention could get tied up with correcting the stereo’s volume over avoiding the oncoming car! None of us would want to settle for second rate ergonomics these days.
Modern car designers do put a lot of thought into the area of ergonomics, however some cars are still better than others, and it would be advisable that you consider a car’s ergonomics carefully before purchasing a brand new set of wheels. This would avoid disappointment and dissatisfaction a month or two into your ownership period.
It’s worth being a kid again and spending time inside a car to get familiar with what button does what. Car’s that are too complicated for their own good might have all the bells and whistles but be too complex to use on a day-to-day basis. The new millennia BMW 7 Series was often criticised for having far too many buttons located on the central dash area. You just about required a degree to make the luxury features work the way you wanted them to. BMW listened to the complaints of the car’s ergonomics and have improved the newer 7 Series cars immensely.
Remember, a car doesn’t necessarily need to be flash in order to provide top ergonomics. Even your trusty ten year old Toyota Corolla may have better ergonomics than the latest Mercedes Benz. Sometimes good ergonomics just comes down to owner’s preference, however, more often than not, a car’s good ergonomics reliably satisfies drivers of all shapes and sizes all the time. In the eighties and nineties, Saab was heralded as having the most ergonomically sound cars. Saab knew this and continued to sell new models with similar ergonomics of older models. As the years went by, of course, they were criticised for being unadventurous in the dashboard design. But all it took was for drivers of these Saab cars to be behind the wheel for any lengthy period of time, then they would soon appreciate how relaxing, comfortable and easy to use they actually were.
Level 2, 9 Help Street