Autoblog

Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll]

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST

Foreign manufacturers have had a strong presence in the United States' new car market for decades now. Germany, Japan and Korea produce vehicles that many consumers find as appealing as our domestic offerings, if not more so. Those countries have had lots of time to win favor among American consumers, while other countries have yet to make a dent on our car-buying radar. That could change more quickly than one might think, however, as a new study by GfK Automotive shows that younger car shoppers are willing to explore cars made in countries other than the ones previously mentioned.

According to GfK, only 38 percent of U.S. car shoppers are open to a Chinese brand. That figure drops to 30 percent for a vehicle from an Indian manufacturer. However, looking at younger consumers, 52 percent of Gen Y car shoppers say they would be willing to take a look at a Chinese automobile, and 41 percent would consider an Indian-made vehicle. Conversely, America's Baby Boomers are less likely to give a chance to vehicle made in India or China, with 22 and 29 percent (respectively) giving those countries a thumbs up.

Still, those are more promising figures for Chinese and Indian automakers than we might've expected. Built and priced correctly and given the right marketing, China and India could have a waiting group of shoppers ready to take a chance on a new face in America's car park. Click past the jump to read the full press release and let us know if you think you'd be ready to go Chinese or Indian in our poll below.

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Continue reading Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll]

Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scion, Mitsubishi and Mazda top brands among Gen Y buyers

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Scion

Sure, every age demographic is important to marketing and sales teams in the automotive industry. But automakers would love nothing more than to grab hold of a young person and instill brand loyalty at an early age.

Which manufacturers are actually doing that? According to a study conducted by TrueCar.com, car shoppers aged between 18 and 27 years old are flocking to Scion, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

Referred to as Generation Y, this group represents a vital segment of the car-shopping public. If a brand can grab you here, it has a strong chance of grabbing you again down the road. In 2009 and 2010, Scion was able to capture 21.2 percent of the Gen Y car buyers. Mitsubishi was close behind with 20.3 percent of that market, and Mazda was third with 10.7 percent. Surprisingly, Bugatti failed to make the list.

TrueCar.com also took a look at the specific models that appeal to this young segment of shoppers. The Scion tC, Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Civic Si nabbed the top three spots for sales in the previous two years. Generation Y clearly has a thing for imports, and you can dig deeper into TrueCar's findings by reading the full press release posted after the jump.

Continue reading Scion, Mitsubishi and Mazda top brands among Gen Y buyers

Scion, Mitsubishi and Mazda top brands among Gen Y buyers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Generation Y will "redefine" automotive market, trends green and big

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Etc., Electric, Diesel

Were you born somewhere between 1976 and the early 1990s? Are you the child of a so-called Baby Boomer? If so, you, like me, are a member of Generation Y. So, what does that mean? Well, nothing really, but it's a convenient way to classify a large chunk of the American population... and we should all get used to hearing how marketers are targeting us as their current and future consumers.

Such is the case with a recent study from AutoPacific, which finds that Generation Y will "redefine" the automotive market. It seems our generation is "willing to embrace new brands, new technology and alternative powertrains." That means electric cars, hybrids and clean diesels. We're also likely to want lots of electronic gadgetry in our cars and we expect that all that computing power will improve fuel mileage and environmental friendliness. Oh, and we don't necessarily want small cars.

So, to recap, we want large cars with good fuel economy, lots of technology and without too big a price increase... No problem, right?

[Source: AutoPacific]

Continue reading REPORT: Generation Y will "redefine" automotive market, trends green and big

REPORT: Generation Y will "redefine" automotive market, trends green and big originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scion sales are down, brand image in flux

Chris Shunk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Scion, Toyota

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Scion xB.

My older brother Brian drives a Scion xD. He's 39 years old, and probably considered anything but cool by 18-24 year-old standards. He bought his little xD because he was tired of filling up his AWD 2001 Chevy Astro conversion van, and he's gone from getting 12 mpg to about 30. While that's a big-time win for Scion sales, the brand's marketing arm has to cringe. Scion was built to be Toyota's youth-oriented brand, with cars that would finally bring younger buyers into the Toyota showroom. The early days of Scion were a boon, with 80% of Scion buyers having never shopped Toyota before. Young people were clamoring for the xB and tC, and 100-200k online shoppers flocked to the Scion site each month.

Only a year after the redesign of the xB and xD, the Scion site is seeing less than half the traffic. Overall, year over year sales fell for 17 strait months until March, when gas prices skyrocketed. Even then, sales were back down by June, which was the peak of high fuel prices. The problems began to surface when the redesigned Scions were little more than larger versions of their former selves. A larger xB became more attractive to the mother of two, while losing some of the edginess that made it a smash hit with teens and early-20-somethings.

Scion's leadership would like to turn the tide by creating a fourth member of the Scion family that exudes cool for under $20k. It could be an SUV or a hybrid, but Scion execs want it to be free from the grasps of the parent company. The current models also have to be refocused to once again attract the coveted 18-30 crowd. That's a tall order, and a lot of work for a brand that's only five years old.

Gallery: 2008 Scion xB

Gallery: 2008 Scion xD

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Scion sales are down, brand image in flux originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Generation Y continues to flummox automakers

Joel Arellano — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends

Will the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and the upcoming Nissan Versa join the Buick Le Sabre and even the Toyota Camry as "Grandparent's Most Favorite Ride?" That's what analysts think about the new wave of subcompacts arriving in America. According to John Wolkonowicz, automakers are once again making the mistake that younger buyers' primary concern is cost. "This is not a meek generation. They (Generation Y) want you to see them arrive," says the Global Insight analyst. "A car is like clothing."

Other analysts agree with Wolkonowicz's statement, saying while some Gen Y buyers will purchase vehicles based on cost, they'll abandon them as soon as they can afford something more "interesting" like a Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, or Hummer H2. The analysts are a bit perplexed, since sales of MINIs and Scions illustrate Gen Y's priority: good-looking, "cool" cars that evoke emotions. Of course, those brands have a fair percentage of elderly buyers themselves. Automakers can be forgiven, though, since it takes three to five years for them to bring a new vehicle to production, during which Gen Y likely changes its mind about a dozen times. Damn video game generation.

There is a trend of younger drivers coveting more classic vehicles, and it would be interesting to read analysts' views on that phenomenon, as well. Perhaps there are some readers out there who were born in the '80s that can testify to the allure of a good classic.

Related:
Will the American market's new small cars resonate with young buyers?
Gen Y gets automakers' attention

[Source: Chicago Tribune via South Coast Today]

Generation Y continues to flummox automakers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 May 2006 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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