Subaru, General Motors and Lexus earned the most recognition as the strongest automotive brands among Kelley Blue Book's 2016 Brand Image Award winners announced March 22.

The awards are given to "recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public," according to the group.

Subaru earned three category wins for Best Overall Brand, Most Trusted Brand, and Best Performance Brand among the 13 categories, while General Motors took home honors for Most Refined Brand (GMC) and Best Value Luxury Brand (Buick). Lexus was named Best Overall Luxury Brand and Most Trusted Luxury Brand.

Ford earned recognition as Best Truck Brand, while Chrysler was named Best Car Styling Brand. Other winners included Honda for Best Value Brand, Mercedes-Benz for Most Refined Luxury Brand, Porsche for Best Performance Luxury Brand, and Jaguar for Best Car Styling Luxury Brand.

"With strong product lineups and compelling marketing communications coming from auto manufacturers, consumers are more influenced than ever to take interest in a brand, ultimately affecting their vehicle purchase decisions," said Hwei-Lin Oetken, vice president of strategic insights for Kelley Blue Book. "We've seen an interesting shift in consumer perception of Subaru over the last few years."