Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota have a commanding lead in car brand awareness, as determined from interviewing car owners for the 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey.

Consumer Reports’ 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey reveals how consumers rank car brands across seven purchase-influencing factors, such as safety, quality, and value. And the research also sheds light on what brands consumers are likely to purchase from for their next new car. Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet lead purchase intent, though Honda has a higher brand loyalty rate than its domestic competitors.

The people have spoken: Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet excel over other brands in the minds of adult car owners, though the brand’s advantages are less this year than in the past. These are among the findings of the 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

As I made my last tour of the Cobo Center show floor in Detroit, it struck me how few new models stood out to me this year. I love that most unveilings were practical, or at least skewed toward the practical, from traditional mainstream models edging upscale to prestige brands reaching down toward mainstream budgets. The cars that etch themselves into my memory are distinctive in appearance, function, and/or mission, leaving so many others anonymous in an army of clones.

Automakers are constantly mining their past glory for new products: Special edition this; anniversary model that…sometimes it’s no more than a tape stripe or special numbered badge.

Detroit automakers seem resurgent in their hometown. That’s the take of Consumer Reports Senior Director of auto testing, David Champion. The most impressive models on display so far at this year’s Detroit auto show in the Motor City include the Big 3’s bread-and-butter sedans. The midsized Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion sedans, and the smaller Dodge Dart, the first offspring of the combined Chrysler and Fiat all look competitive in their segments. Another impressive domestic is the Cadillac ATS. The company’s first small car in decades could be a credible BMW and Mercedes fighter, says Champion.

Chrysler has been rising from the ashes with competitive sedans and SUVs, but hasn’t had a fuel-efficient small car for years. That changes with the all-new Dart.

Chrysler’s mid-sized sedans--the Chrysler Sebring and its platform-mate, the Dodge Avenger--left them in a bind. The cars were woefully uncompetitive with slow sales as a result. All-new replacements from their then new-found alliance with Fiat were years away. Killing off the Sebring and Avenger would leave a line-up with no sedan smaller than the large Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. And keeping the mid-sizers on sale unchanged wasn’t much of an option.

One of the best known, and certainly one of the best-selling, Dodge nameplates is making a comeback: Dart. Chrysler has begun teasing the release of an all-new 2013 Dodge Dart to be revealed at the Detroit auto show next month.

The Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that has an advanced but unproven powertrain, is now the top-scoring model in Consumer Reports’ latest annual owner-satisfaction survey.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall warning for the 2012 Fiat 500 compact car and 2012 Dodge Journey midsize SUV. Certain models of both vehicles from the Chrysler Motor Corp. may have been assembled with contaminated brake fluid which can lead to loss of stopping power.

Sure, the LA Auto Show is typically characterized as the “green car” event, but for muscle car enthusiasts, the event is downright exciting this year. On hand at the LA Convention Center are the 580-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 650-hp Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. And from Dodge? A couple yellow cars.

When we tested the redesigned 2011 Dodge Charger, we were impressed with the improvements. While never a slouch on power, the Charger was not exactly civilized when it came to handling or interior quality. The redesign radically improved the car and made it much more refined. When we got a chance to drive the SRT8, we wondered how much of that carried over to the brute-force model the SRT8.

Consumer Reports recently unveiled the results of its latest reliability survey, showing that Asian brands continue to occupy the top-tier, claiming nine of the top 10 spots in our rankings. However, the findings among the domestic brands are noteworthy, and there’s plenty of good news within each segment.

Minivans offer the best combination of cargo and people space with usually good fuel economy and abundant convenience features to appease all members of the family. Some shoppers are minivan averse, not wanting to embrace the “soccer mom” and “carpooler” image, and therefore buy SUVs or other vehicles. They are simply missing out. If transporting family and friends is your top priority but you also need interior versatility to carry cargo, there is no better all-purpose vehicle than a minivan.