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Ford is on the upswing versus a year ago, according to a BIGresearch consumer survey.

Of consumers who say they plan on buying a new vehicle in the next six months, Ford's Auto Buyer Index places it in the top five category. This is a marked improvement over a year ago when the auto maker was in the negative.

The ABI is calculated by subtracting the average percentage of those planning to buy a new vehicle in the next six months, considering a brand first choice or second choice from the current percentage of ownership of the same brand.