NEW YORK -

Results of the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend study were released earlier this week, and in some good news for domestics, the top two brands were Ford and Chevrolet, respectively.

As such, Ford earns the spot as Harris Poll EquiTrend Full Line Automotive Brand of the Year.

As some may know, composing the EquiTrend are measurements for equity, consumer connection, commitment brand behavior, brand advocacy and trust.

“The keystone to the program is equity, which provides an understanding of a brand’s overall strength and is determined by a calculation of familiarity, quality and purchase consideration,” officials noted.

Honda came in third, followed by Toyota, which won last year’s rankings.

On the luxury side, Mercedes-Benz earned the top billing as 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Luxury Automotive Brand of the Year. Lexus, which won last year, was No. 2. BMW was third and Infiniti was fourth.

"Improved product among the domestic automotive manufacturers is clearly having a positive impact on consumers and their perceptions of Ford and Chevrolet,” stated Carol Gstalder, Harris Interactive’s senior vice president of business and industrial research.

“Both award recipients — Ford and Mercedes-Benz — have faced recent challenges, but both have introduced strong new and redesigned products. The opportunity is sustaining this improvement in the face of increased competition,” she added.