Porsche in pole position as world's most valuable luxury brand

Porsche has again scooped the top spot as the world’s most valuable luxury brand in a Brand Finance report.

The manufacturer recently became Europe's most valuable car company in an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange that gave it an €85bn (about R1.49-trillion) valuation, more than parent company Volkswagen, which is valued at €77.7bn (about R1.36-trillion). 

The report aims to survey products and services well-known for high quality but not widely considered or purchased due to price, said Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation consultancy. This often manifests in high brand awareness and a strong reputation for quality but low purchase relevance and conversion, as most consumers do not consider the brands within their reach due to price.

Louis Vuitton took second place ahead of Gucci, Chanel and Hermès in a list dominated by fashion apparel brands. Only two automotive brands cracked the top ten — Porsche at the top and Ferrari in ninth, with a further five vehicle brands listed in the top 50.

Ferrari (9)

Ferrari is ranked ninth in the world, down two points from seventh in 2021. The brand, which is second in the Formula One constructors’ championship, launched new products in 2022, the most important of which being the Purosangue, its first SUV. It also launched 599 units of the third exclusive Icona series, the 296 GTB, another one-off in the SP51 while some of its iconic vintage models found new homes through pricey auctions. 

Bentley (23)

British Bentley, which is a part of the Volkswagen Group that owns Porsche, came in 23rd. The ultraluxury brand, which was ranked 25th last year, has been beefing up its line-up of suave SUVs and limousines with new  derivatives, including a Bentayga with an extended wheelbase and the exclusive, 18-unit Bentley Mulliner Batur coupé.

Lamborghini (30)

Lamborghini, another brand in the extended Volkswagen family, dropped from 28th the year before to 30th. The brand, which has just produced the last Aventador, has also been piling on derivatives such as the STO and Tecnica, including plans to bring an all-terrain Huracán named Sterrato. The brand has also introduced a facelifted Urus S and the Urus Performante, besides announcing its entry into Le Mans racing. 

Rolls-Royce (38)

British aristocrat brand Rolls-Royce is down to 38th from 30th last year. Activities around the brand include the announcement of Tufan Erginbilgic as CEO, replacing Warren East when he steps down at the end of the year. The brand recently announced the all-electric Spectre and the Phantom II, while also touching up the Ghost range. In 2021 the brand introduced the boat tail, a motorised extravagance worth £20m (about R400m).

McLaren (41)

McLaren is down to 41st from 24th in 2021. This year the brand has been loyal to its racing pedigree, making more news from the Formula One paddock than with product. It has launched the new Artura hybrid, as well as the Solus GT, a futuristic concept car from a video game with a special commission for just 25 units, which cost its already confirmed customers £2.5m (about R50m) apiece.

Aston Martin (47)

Aston Martin snuck into the top 50 brands at 47th, down from 38 in the most recent survey. The British brand has kept the world salivating with the Valkyrie hypercar finally reaching customers, the announcement of a Formula One-inspired DBR22 hypercar, launching the final V12 derivatives of the Vantage and building the world’s fastest SUV in the form of the DBX 707.

All this was against the backdrop of chasing after Formula One glory and preparing to welcome former F1 champ Fernando Alonso next year after four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, and gaining a new CEO in former Ferrari boss Amedeo Felisa who replaced Tobias Moers.

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.