NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - When it comes to favorite cars and trucks, the general public and the professional media don't always see eye to eye, according to a new ranking of favorites based on an analysis of billions of Web pages.

Market research company Brandimensions searched for mentions of new cars and trucks on Web sites and blogs. Those mentions were then analyzed to find out what people were saying about the vehicles and who was saying it.

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The company will release its "Consumer Voice Awards" at the Chicago Auto Show today. The awards recognize vehicles that the general public, as opposed to professional journalists, speak about most positively on the Internet.

For purposes of comparison, the company also analyzed Web postings and stories by professional journalists working for recognized media outlets. Usually, journalists' preferences differed from those of the public, according to Brandimensions analysis.

Based on the frequency of mentions for certain cars and the nature of comments, Brandimensions ranked vehicles according to how well-liked they seemed to be by the media and the public at large.

In a few cases, as with the Chevrolet Corvette, the media and the public agreed. That car was seen as the most well-liked "Luxury specialty" vehicle, according to Brandimensions.

Also, both professional journalists and the public liked the Dodge Magnum in the "Sports tourer" category.

But in most cases, there was no such agreement. While the general public thought the Mazda3 was the best "Compact car," professional media preferred the Toyota Prius.

The Ford Fusion was the favorite "Standard sedan," but journalists liked the Dodge Charger better, according to Brandimensions.

Among "Standard specialty" vehicles, the Scion tC was the public's favorite, but journalists seemed to prefer the Ford Mustang.

The company's method for garnering consumer opinions is "more powerful than an opinion survey," said Bradley Silver, CEO of Brandimensions. That's because the opinions the company finds are unsolicited and they can directly influence car shoppers, he said.

Consumer opinions can be particularly influential, he said, because shoppers tend to trust the opinions of those they perceive to be like themselves.

Some car companies have begun working to influence "consumer buzz" on the Internet by doing things like secretly releasing "unauthorized" photos of cars ahead of their official introductions.

Brandimensions can track where copies of those photos are posted using special code embedded in the image files. That way, auto company clients can see if leaked images are finding their way to the desired audiences and comments posted about the images can be tracked, Silver said.

Some car companies are also directly reaching out to frequent Internet posters, even lending test vehicles to them as they do to professional automotive journalists, he said.

Gallery: Hype wheels: the cars people love

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