Mercedes-Benz comes top of the latest AutoMarxX image survey conducted by Europe's biggest automobile association, the ADAC of Germany.

The survey was based on a scale of 1 (unqualified approval) to 5 (total rejection). Mercedes-Benz earned an overall grade of 1.89, which placed it ahead of its competitors, Audi (2.16), Porsche (2.24) and BMW (2.25).

In four of the six key categories, Mercedes-Benz took one of the top two places: brand strength (1.8), product strength and vehicle quality (1.5), market strength (2.9) and trend-setting power (1.0).