The Japanese brand reported a 15 per cent improvement over 2006 to climb to sixth place, its brand value rising to £15,792 million.

Toyota was closely followed by Mercedes-Benz in tenth place, while fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda was ranked in 19th place. Ford, which was ranked 41st suffered a percentage fall of 19 per cent in its brand value compared to 2006.

Interbrand uses a combination of analysts' projections, company financial documents and its own qualitative analysis to arrive at a net present value of earnings.

To qualify for the list, each brand must derive at least a third of its earnings outside of its home country.

Coca-Cola was the top brand in the poll for the seventh year in a row.