Kelley Blue Book, a U.S provider of new car and used car information, says Ford and Chevrolet are leading in interest among online buyers.

Its latest survey noted the top five upward-climbing and downward-declining brands in share of market interest for May 2009 when compared to May 2008.

The top five upward climbers were Ford (1), Chevrolet (2), Volkswagen (3), Dodge (4) and Kia (5).

The top five downward decliners were Toyota (1), Honda (2), Saturn (3), Mini (4) and Smart (5).

In May, as other domestic manufacturers dealt with issues of bankruptcy and dealer closings, Ford traffic saw the largest year-over-year share of market interest increase of any brand compared with May 2008.

A leading contributor to Ford’s climb was the Fusion, which saw a 120 per cent increase in year-over-year interest from May 2008 to May 2009, likely due to the introduction and heavy promotion of Ford’s 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid models.

Brands affected by the negative economic news actually saw increases in share of market interest in May 2009 compared with the prior year.

The second-highest upward climber of year-over-year share of market interest on kbb.com was Chevrolet.

Despite the GM bankruptcy and dealer closings, Chevrolet’s share of market interest surged ahead in May 2009 based largely on strong consumer interest in the new 2010 Camaro as well as the Traverse and Equinox crossovers.

Other May 2009 share-of-market-interest climbers include Dodge, likely spurred by buyers looking for the deal of a lifetime after Chrysler declared bankruptcy.

One exception to the domestic surge is Saturn, whose decline is largely attributable to General Motors’ decision to sell the brand as part of its massive government-assisted reorganization process.

This sent a signal to consumers the Saturn brand might cease to exist, which eroded its market share.

GM subsequently has announced Saturn Corporation will be acquired by the Penske Automotive Group, an announcement that may help to reestablish its interest levels in the future.

Other brands that fared well were spurred by new-vehicle introductions with heavy support.

Kia saw a jump due to the increased popularity of its Soul, while Volkswagen also saw increased kbb.com traffic share in May 2009 compared to the previous year, due to the CC and Routan, both of which have been heavily advertised.