IRVINE, Calif. -

After spending the third quarter in second place behind Toyota, Ford once again leads the list of most-considered auto brands, according to the latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch study.

Ford had held that spot for three straight quarters, beginning with the final quarter of 2009. Toyota regained its prior No. 1 ranking in the third quarter of 2010, but consideration for the brand has been up-and-down as it “works to rebuild its brand following last year’s recall crisis,” KBB noted.

Delving more into the specific rankings, Ford (whose consideration was at 29 percent), was followed in second place by Chevrolet and Toyota, each of which were at 22 percent.

Honda (21 percent) was next, followed by Nissan (13 percent) in fourth. Hyundai and BMW (each at 11 percent) tied for fifth.

“Ford’s revamped product offering, strong business strategy and clever marketing have helped to lead it back to a position of prominence in the minds of new-car shoppers,” stated Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kbb.com.

“With enticing products offered in nearly every new-car segment, and an emphasis on forward-thinking technology like SYNC and MyFord Touch, Ford is dominating the shopping lists of many new-car buyers and has a real opportunity to turn this consideration into more dollar-signs,” he added. “Kbb.com shoppers’ opinions and behaviors are leading indicators of future new-car sales patterns, so with the latest Brand Watch study results, we expect to see continued good news for Ford throughout the year.”

Looking at the results in individual segments, Ford also topped the consideration list in the truck segment, marking its ninth straight time doing so.

It also ranked No. 1 in the non-luxury SUV/CUV list and has made great strides in the non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback segment, as well.

Moving on, other segment rankings were as follows:

Non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback
1. Honda
2. Toyota
3. Ford
4. Chevrolet
5. Hyundai
6. Nissan

Non-luxury SUV/CUV
1. Ford
2. Toyota
3. Honda
4. Chevrolet

Luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback
1. BMW
2. Mercedes-Benz
3. Lexus
4. Audi
5. Cadillac

Luxury SUV/CUV
1. Lexus
2. Cadillac
3. Acura
4. Lincoln
5. BMW

Minivan
1. Honda
2. Toyota

Truck
1. Ford
2. Chevrolet

The study also noted that the following remain as the most important factor that shoppers consider in the purchasing process:

1. Durability/reliability
2. Fuel efficiency
3. Driving comfort
4. Driving performance
5. Safety