IRVINE, Calif. -
Kelley Blue Book recently announced the new vehicles that generated the most consumer traffic via Kbb.com in 2010, in addition to revealing the brands that commanded the most market interest for the year.
Topping the list of most-researched rides is the Honda Accord, with the Honda Civic coming in second.
As far as the brand that generated the strongest proportion of new-vehicle shopper activity on Kbb.com, officials said it was Toyota.
Discussing the top-20 list of individual models in more detail, KBB reported that Honda models claimed three of the top four spots, as well as four of the top seven, with the CR-V ranking fourth in research traffic and the Pilot ranking at No. 7.
Placing third was the Toyota Camry.
Toyota led the way with six models making the list, while Honda had five models in the top 20. Three Ford models also made the top 20, along with two Chevrolets models.

BMW, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen each were represented by one vehicle.

Continuing on, while 2010 marked the seventh straight year that the Nos. 1-3 spots have been claimed by different combinations of the Accord, Civic and Camry models, there were several shifts in the rest of the top-20 list.
For instance, some models cracked the top 20 after missing out in 2009, and a few made dramatic leaps in popularity.
The Hyundai Sonata, for example, climbed from No. 29 in 2009 to No. 5 for 2010.
Looking at some of the new or redesigned models that showed strong upward movement, the Ford Mustang improved from No. 16 to No. 8. The Toyota Sienna placed 11th, compared to its 18th ranking the prior year.
The Chevrolet Equinox moved ahead to No. 13 after placing 20th in 2009.
Also, the BMW 3 Series earned a spot on the list at No. 18 for the first time.
Moreover, KBB delved into some of the list’s mainstays that showed declines from the prior year. Officials pointed to two Toyota models, the Corolla and the Prius, each of which fell nine spots compared to the year-ago period.
The Corolla came in 14th, while the Prius was 17th.
KBB also pointed out that the Chevrolet Camaro dropped from No. 12 in 2009 to No. 19.
“The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com clearly demonstrates which models are resonating with today’s new-car shoppers, especially when we examine the most-researched new vehicles of 2010,” shared James Bell, executive market analyst at Kbb.com. 
“Hyundai’s home-run Sonata was not only the darling of the industry this year, but also made a strong impression in the minds of new-car shoppers by leaping ahead to the fifth most-researched new car of 2010,” he continued. “In addition, two popular Toyota models, the Corolla and Prius, experienced drops on the list this year, likely due to a combination of lower fuel prices and reduced overall interest in compact and hybrid vehicles, and also possibly due to Toyota’s public perception crisis during the recall saga of 2010.”
Interest Shares by Brand
Moving on to discuss the market interest shares of brands, KBB said that Toyota raked in a 13.4 percent share and was followed by Honda (11.4 percent) and Ford (10.2 percent). Rounding out the top five were Chevrolet (8.3 percent) and Nissan (6.2 percent).
Despite Toyota claiming the No. 1 spot yet again, its share dipped 2.4 percentage points from the prior year, KBB noted.
Honda, Chevrolet and Nissan were essentially static from 2009, but Ford moved ahead 1.5 percentage points.
The following are lists of Kbb.com’s Top 20 Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2010 and the 2010 Top Five Brands with Greatest Share of Market Interest Among New-Car Shoppers, respectively:
Top Models
1. Honda Accord
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Camry
4. Honda CR-V
5. Hyundai Sonata
6. Nissan Altima
7. Honda Pilot
8. Ford Mustang
9. Toyota Highlander
10. Toyota RAV4
11. Toyota Sienna
12. Honda Odyssey
13. Chevrolet Equinox
14. Toyota Corolla

15. Ford Fusion

16. Ford Escape
17. Toyota Prius
18. BMW 3 Series
19. Chevrolet Camaro
20. Volkswagen Jetta
Top Brands
1. Toyota (13.4 percent)
2. Honda (11.4 percent)
3. Ford (10.2 percent)
4. Chevrolet (8.3 percent)
5. Nissan (6.2 percent)