When it comes to luxury, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is undoubtedly the king. It's a marvel of innovative technology and is simply brilliant in every way. As such, it should come as no surprise that Mercedes-Benz itself is right at the top of the rankings when it comes to luxury car brands. There are various different studies on this subject, with different agencies using different metrics to determine a brand's value, but one of the most reputable is Interbrand, a US-based brand consultancy that evaluates the best global brands, including those in the automotive sector. Based on Interbrand's rankings, Mercedes-Benz is the most valuable luxury brand for the fourth year in a row.

Unsurprisingly, Merc's closest rival is BMW, and with more new luxury models on the way, the Bavarian brand may be able to better its current overall ranking of 11th next year. However, Mercedes is in eighth position for 2020 and is the only European company in the top ten despite having to pay billions in fines for an emissions scandal. While BMW is continuing to fill obscure niches and has outsold Merc, Mercedes is taking the opposite approach by streamlining its model offerings and aiming to reduce costs. We have no experience running a car company, but this strategy sounds better than BMW's. The only other automakers in the top 20 are Honda in last place and of course Toyota in seventh.

Mercedes is likely to continue leading the way thanks to its products and strong brand presence and is understandably proud of this ranking. Bettina Fetzer, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz AG, says: "The key to our success is our brand's consistent focus on the needs of the customer, for whom we create extraordinary product and brand experiences using a wide range of digital and physical formats."

According to Interbrand, the Mercedes brand is worth 49.268 billion dollars, and although this pales in comparison with what brands like Apple and Amazon are worth, it just goes to show that innovating and refining your products continually is very important for car brands.