Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts

Friday, 17 October 2014

Snippets of a Study on the Future of Mobility

According to a recent Auto Study on the future of mobility conducted by New York based company MRY, via Whitman Insight Strategies, owning a car is still an important part of our day-to-day life.

This study surveyed 1,000 smartphone owners – 500 Millennials, 500 35+) and cover everything from consumers’ thoughts on the “connected car,” to which automakers are perceived to be the most innovative (and how that translates to sales).

The findings reveals that unsurprisingly that mobile phones matter a lot more to people, slightly less than cars. Among adults 35+: 94% say their cars are important vs 82% phones. But for Millennials, it’s 87% cars, 86% phones. Overall, SMS comes in at 72%, high def TV 55%, Facebook 47%, newspaper subscription 32%, and Twitter and Instagram around 20%.

Across ages, access to a car (90%) trumps helping others (77%), raising a family (73%), voting (68%), and being wealthy (43%). However, the youth just want to get rich as being wealthy is a FAR bigger deal for Millennials (53%) vs adults 35+ (33%) - one of the biggest value gaps MRY found in the study.

As for car ownership, 96% of surveyed individuals own or lease a vehicle, and 91% think that owning a car is still an important part of their day-to-day. Even 87% of the Millennial population, which is more aware of car-sharing services and other transportation options, agrees that owning a car is essential. This means that auto manufacturers need to keep people happy, because at least 40% of surveyed individuals are likely to use car-sharing services if offered in their communities.

To put things into perspective: new vehicle sales are around the 16 million mark, with the average sticker price north of $30,000 (See link). That’s $480 billion. A shift in attitude leads to changes in purchase behavior and even a 1% change could mean a $5 billion impact on sales.

However, car-sharing still has a long way to go. Even though Uber ranks above all of the major auto brands when measured against the intersection of innovation and personal connection, it is still a relatively unknown entity. Only 22% of surveyed individuals were familiar with Uber, falling behind Zip Car (33% familiar) and just ahead of Lyft (18% familiar).

Monday, 16 July 2012

Lesser impact of automotive sponsored events

According to newly released results of the 2012 Automotive Marketing Communications
Study, carried out by Foresight Research, the automotive research specialists, it was found that:

  • Overall, 10% of new vehicle buyers in 2011 attended an automotive sponsored event in the 12 months prior to vehicle purchase (down from 13% in 2010).
  • Overall, 5% of all new vehicle buyers were highly influenced in their purchase decision by an auto sponsored event, down significantly from 12% in 2010 and 10% in 2009. Among event attendees, however, 24% were highly influenced by the event they attended.
  • Purchase incentives, previously the most influential element of events were less available or less enticing resulting in lower event influence on purchases.
  • Buyers who participated in a ride and drive were influenced by the event at a 42% higher rate than those who did not participate in a ride and drive.
  • Interestingly, Mitsubishi, Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cadillac and Jeep buyers reported the highest purchase influence from events.

The study was based on interviews of 7,851 new vehicle buyers in the U.S.

Saturday, 1 October 2011

Hyundai Genesis best upscale sedan

According to new test results from Consumer Reports, out of a test group of 10 upscale sedans including the the Chrysler 300C, Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Avalon, and Acura TL, the Hyundai Genesis came out at top of the CR’s ratings with an Excellent road test score of 92. The car has been on top of the list of upscale sedans since 2009. The 2012 model has a softer, more comfortable ride; a stronger direct injected V6; and a more fuel-efficient eight-speed automatic transmission improving the overall mileage.

A surprise was the Revamped 2011 Chrysler 300C which scored an “Excellent” overall road test score of 80, up from 64 for the previous model. According to David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center in East Haddam, CT “The 300C’s quick, muscular 5.7-liter V8 engine is now complemented by responsive handling and a more comfortable ride.” He further added: “And, thanks to a major upgrade, its roomy interior is now quieter, more luxurious, and has improved visibility.”

A disappointment was the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, a fuel-efficient family sedan, which scored only 69, a full 20 points below the previously-tested and more popular conventional Sonata GLS.

On the other hand, the all-electric Nissan Leaf scored a respectable 78 points. The Leaf is quick, very quiet, rides comfortably and is easy to get in and out of. However, the limited driving range of only about 75 miles per charge, and the long time it takes to recharge (about 6 hours on 240V) are the main drawbacks.

The full report is available to subscribers of www.ConsumerReports.org and in the November issue of Consumer Reports.

Thursday, 4 February 2010

More problems for Toyota

According to reports the Toyota recall due to gas pedal problems could cost the company around US $2 billion. Apparenalty it was due to a software problem but this has definitely hurt consumer's trust in this car company.

The story does not end there. Just found out that the US authorities are launching an investigation regarding problems in the 2010 Toyota Prius as well. Can't help but wonder there are vested interests working here considering the fact that the US Govt, has stake in the US car makers - General Motors and Chrysler.

Wednesday, 10 December 2008

The Nissan Z tour

The Nissan Z has developed quite a following and as a warm up to the upcoming launch of the all new 370Z, Nissan is having a rally across the US. You can Follow the Z North American Rally which is currently in Washington D.C.. This will be followed by a stop in Gaithersburg, Maryland on December 11th.

Check out the new Z promo video clip:

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Asian brands beat American brands in the US

According to a report in the International Herald Tribune, the three big US car makers, namely, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler, combined sold less than (44.4 %) than the Asian brands - 10 brands in total (48.1 %) for the first time ever. The data was provided by the Autodata Corporation.

Amazingly, Toyota overtook GM in United States sales.

The drop in sales of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles with growth in sales of compact cars show that consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about fuel economy of their cars.

Read the full report here: U.S. cars lose to Asian rivals for first time