Automobile industry sales figures will show that celebrity status is powerful. In fact, this is true for countless markets. Motor vehicle sales are driven by being associated with celebrities just as much as the sales of any other product are. That explains the obsession that marketing executives have with celebrity endorsements. Consumers probably remember some high profile car commercials with Eminem in the driver’s seat.

However, the industry has recently turned towards reporting stories about what vehicles different celebrities drive. Some people might criticize this as a gimmick. Others might suggest it is the penultimate creation of the tabloid media. Nevertheless, car companies would be pleased if such maneuvers actually produced sales. Consumers who purchase cars based on celebrity testimonies might not be the best-informed people, but they form a demographic that marketers want to reach.

In some cases, these stories are rather humorous. Some media outlets went so far as to criticize Halle Berry for driving a Honda CR-V crossover instead of her usual Lexus RX luxury SUV. People have said that Honda isn’t an exciting brand, and that celebrities need to drive vehicles that are more fitting to their status. This sort of reporting is probably a strong comment on the general public’s opinion of celebrity life. That doesn’t mean that Honda isn’t pleased with the free publicity.

Interestingly enough, some news sources have also picked up on a story regarding a Range Rover. Beyonce and Jay-Z were photographed in front of one in Paris, and that gave people an opportunity to comment on taillights in celebrity photographs. The interior of most cars in these pictures can’t be seen due to the fact that the windows are often blacked out. Therefore, consumers pay close attention to the rear of the vehicle.

Whether this sort of micromanagement on behalf of the news media is selling cars or not remains to be seen. In fact, one could argue that automakers aren’t influencing the media. Nevertheless, new stories can serve as powerful advertisements. Celebrities attract a lot of attention, and wise marketing executives might be able to capture some of that attention. That doesn’t mean that car buyers should ever find their decisions swayed by marketing tricks, however.

While Audi might be associated with Germany, the automotive company recently took home some awards in the United States. The International Design Excellence (IDEA) Award 2012 title was given to the new Audi A6. Contest judges commented on the innovative design. This might come as a shock to some pundits, but the Audi A6 range actually won another major US industrial design trophy.

With both the IDEA and red dot design award titles under their belt, it looked like Audi was already dominating the awards scene. However, they won a few titles in their home country as well. Germans ranked Audi the second most popular brand in the entire country. It was the top-performing car brand in the Brandmeyer brand consultancy survey. Forsa, a major market research institute, asked 3,000 individuals to name their favorite brand. The answer was completely freeform.

Audi came in second only to Adidas in Germany. Each of the respondents was over the age of 14, so there was a large range of demographics being covered. This also helped to cut down on the possibility of major children’s brands ending up with high rankings. However, one might argue that Audi would still perform well even if they had asked children. The car company is well known in continental Europe.

Australians also seem to have a certain affinity for the German automaker. Australian Automotive Brand Contest judges have named the A3 compact the “Best of the Best.” The A3 also received some awards for its exterior design and the connection options. Interestingly, that contest actually has a Connectivity category. While that might seem postmodern, more motor vehicles today are shipping with some sort of accessible computer system.

Audi’s future looks relatively strong with all of these awards. Decorations don’t necessarily drive sales. Critics are very different from the average consumer, and they look for different things when they’re judging motor vehicles. However, that doesn’t mean that Audi can’t use this buzz to create plenty of attention. They’ll probably also mention these various awards in their advertising campaigns. No car commercial is ever complete without mentioning a couple of honors.

Drivers interested in some of the most reliable vehicles on the road will be interested to learn of a recent announcement from J.D. Power and Associates; Lincoln and Toyota rank the highest. Lincoln was an often overlooked brand in favor of other luxurious models. Changes in approach and design pushed Lincoln ahead of Toyota, Porsche, Jaguar, and Lexus in reliability.

Domestic brands largely rate at lower than imports in reliability. Even still, brands are not a good measure of the overall quality one should expect from a vehicle. Manufacturers such as Chrysler provided a fairly weak offering early on, but have further honed their automobiles into much more efficient machines. Judge a vehicle based on its individual merits and flaws, not by the brand as some would claim.

J.D. Power and Associates conducts and distributes several quality studies a year. The most recent one took stock of consumers’ opinions after a three-year ownership. Three years is generally considered long enough for any real problems to develop with an automobile, if they are going to. Overall, vehicle dependability has never been higher since J.D. Power and Associates started this study in 1990.

This ranking is great news for Lincoln as it enters an era when Ford looks to sink more money into the brand. Ford has since sold off European luxury brands Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Volvo. Freed money will undoubtedly be poured into advertising programs to help bolster sales of Lincoln and help grab consumer interest in the vehicles.

It should be noted that some of the vehicles featured in J.D. Power and Associates’ study were remodeled to fix problems and efficiencies at some point. Recalls were taken into consideration but they often did not cause the same kind of difficulty one would have with an unexpected breakdown.

Toyota Motor Corp. automobiles won seven of the available categories in the study. The 4Runner, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, and Prius all ranked highest in their respective categories. The Scion xB and Lexus RX also won their categories.

Ford scored in four categories with the highest dependability with the Lincoln MKZ and Navigator. The Ford Mustang and Fusion also ranked top in their divisions. GM and Honda both walked away with three categories of their own.

The study was conducted by J.D. Power and Associates; one of the leading arbiters of quality that consumers tend to listen to. Their study was conducted on approximately 43,000 owners of 2008-year model vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was conducted toward the end of 2010.

In many ways Nissan is at a disadvantage in the full size truck market in the United States. Sure, Nissan is a reputable name in the auto industry in the States as well as abroad but competition is still in America with regard to the truck market because it is so saturated with American branded names and models. Nissan’s full size truck model known as the Titan has been holding its own within the market over the last several years but still has aspirations of creating a super truck that will beat out the likes of Ford, Chevy and GM. The 2011 Nissan Titan Crew Cab 4×4 is a very impressive truck in many ways but is it truly a super truck worthy of the heavy duty crown?

The specs for the 2011 Titan have not changed much in the last five years which could be a sign that Nissan is confident that their formula is the winning one or that the company is at a loss for what to change, or even worse they may be complacent in the market. The Pro 4X Crew Cab model has some tremendously impressive specs on both the interior and exterior like comfortable captain-style seats up front, lockable center console large enough to fit a laptop with room to spare, and even front steering that is an independent double-wishbone style with a stabilizer bar and Dana axles.

The Titan 4×4 comes with a base price of a little more than $33,000 but there are several option packages that can be purchased with the vehicle that makes the Titan even plusher. For example, the Premium Utility Package includes items like a 10 speaker Rockford sound system with subwoofer, spray on bed-liner, bed-side storage compartments, XM radio, and tow mirrors but is priced at nearly $2,000. Other optional packages are priced from $345 and include the SV Value Truck Package and the Utility Accessory Package.

Reviews from Edmunds and Motor Trend find the accessories and options in the 2011 Titan very desirable and agree that the extra features make the truck fun to drive and user friendly. However reviews have been mixed regarding the overall work capabilities, endurance, and toughness of the 2011 Titan 4×4. Sales for the Titan peaked in 2008 when more than 34,000 models were sold but sales have been mediocre in comparison since and only 23,426 were sold in 2010.

Overall, long term tests and reviews are needed to make a final judgment on the 2011 Titan and whether it is worth the hefty price tag. While the Titan has some cool features, Nissan may need something new to set them apart from the crowd.