Every quarter, Kelley Blue Book, the company behind the popular used car pricing guide, surveys thousands of shoppers in the market for a new vehicle about what brands they are considering. This "most considered" list is used as a barometer for determining which brands are first and foremost in shoppers' minds.

This type of information is especially important in the luxury segment, which has heated up as of late as three brands – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus – all compete to be the brand with the most sales for 2010 in North America. The results were largely in line with recent sales figures. BMW placed first, which might be an explanation for its recent surge in sales. It was followed closely by Lexus, Audi, Acura and Mercedes-Benz. The company pointed out that while Mercedes was fifth overall, it held the top rank in a number of a factors
that drivers cited as important, such as prestige, family friendliness, safety and interior design.

The rankings got shaken up a little bit when the group turned its attention to the luxury crossover/SUV market, a quickly growing segment. Lexus held onto the top spot in this category, followed by Acura, Cadillac, Lincoln and BMW. This suggests that the domestic luxury brands aren't appealing to buyers in the market for a coupe or sedan, but still make their way onto buyers' shopping lists for larger vehicles.