Hyundai Surpasses Porsche and Lexus in New Global Brands Study

Hyundai ranked eighth in the new 2007 Best Global Brands survey, racing ahead of such mighty competitors as Porsche, Lexus and Nissan. The study is conducted by Interbrand and Business Week.

Toyota, not surprisingly, was named the number-one automotive brand in the world, followed by Mercedes-Benz. BMW took the number-three spot, followed by Honda, Ford, Volkswagen and Audi. Porsche came in at number nine, followed by Lexus and Nissan.

Toyota's brand value is estimated at $32.1 billion, while Hyundai's brand value is pegged at $4.5 billion.