SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

A pair of domestic badges helped to push new-vehicle registrations up by 12 percent last year, according to an analysis by Edmunds.com.

The site’s research found that the growth was paced by a Detroit “renaissance” with some of the biggest increases coming from Jeep and Chrysler, whose registrations grew 55 percent and 48 percent respectively in 2011.

“Ever since it debuted its ‘Imported from Detroit’ ad during last year’s Super Bowl, Chrysler has seen its popularity surge among car shoppers,” explained Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com.

“Everyone likes a good comeback story, and consumers are helping Chrysler write the next chapter,” Caldwell continued.

Sandwiched between Jeep and Chrysler was Kia, whose national registrations grew 54 percent in 2011. Hyundai joined its South Korean counterpart among the top five fastest growing brands, climbing 30 percent.

Edmunds.com determined not all brands enjoyed growth in the U.S. last year.

For example, analysts noticed Lexus registrations declined more than any other nameplate. The luxury brand fell 12 percent in 2011, a rate that doubled the next biggest drop from mainstream counterpart Toyota, which slid 6 percent.

“The declines are not surprising given the two brands’ well-documented sales struggles last year following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan,” Edmunds.com pointed out.

Among the 10 largest U.S. markets, the site noticed only three outpaced the national average.

Analysts indicated Chicago led the top 10 markets with 16 percent growth in 2011, followed by Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth at 14 percent each. They added the New York market had the slowest growth among the top 10, with a year-over-year increase of just 4 percent.

Edmunds.com explained its market analysis examined 2010 and 2011 for the months of Jan through November.

The site said new-vehicle registration data was provided by Polk and only brands with a minimum of 10,000 new registrations in the first 11 months of each year were considered.

2011 Top Registration Gains by Brand
Jeep: 55 percent
Kia: 54 percent
Chrysler: 48 percent
Mini: 30 percent
Hyundai: 30 percent

2011 Top Registration Declines by Brand
Lexus: 12 percent
Toyota: 6 percent
Acura: 4 percent
Jaguar: 4 percent
Honda: 3 percent

New-Vehicle Registration Growth in Top 10 U.S. Markets
Chicago: 16 percent
Los Angeles: 14 percent
Dallas-Fort Worth: 14 percent
Houston: 11 percent
Washington, D.C.: 10 percent
Philadelphia: 10 percent
Boston: 6 percent
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale: 6 percent
Detroit: 5 percent
New York: 4 percent

Nationally: 12 percent