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Domestic carmakers continue to fight a negative-perception battle born during the Great Malaise. That was a time when shiny new Pintos dropped their engines on the New Jersey Turnpike, when five variations of the Chevy Nova fought an inter-brand battle for the title of alpha shitbox, and when executives were too busy fleeing from downtown Detroit to notice some Barbiturate-popping moron had stuck Cadillac badges on a Chevy Cavalier. When asked, Big Three veterans rattle off plenty of reasons, from innovation-stifling union contracts to oppressive emissions laws to the OPEC stranglehold on the oil supply. But despite the excuses, the world's turned a few clicks since then. And, nearly to a maker, cars are better than they've ever been. More »
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Industry number-crunchers RL Polk released the latest vehicle registration data on year-to-date new cars excluding fleet sales, and it's not a good number if you're an automaker from Metro Detroit. Through the month of May, 52.9% of new vehicles registered by purchasers were import brands, up from 49% a year earlier. Retail registrations of domestics totaled 2,554,636 through May, down 7.2% compared with numbers YTD in 2005. On the import side, registrations were up 8.2% to 2,864,409. If the trend holds, it'll be the first year import brands generate the majority of new retail sales. Although this is something everyone knew was coming and really doesn't mean a helluva lot — it's sure to be at least a psychological blow to the big three classic domestic automakers. It'll probably also mean a lot to early morning show pundits and the like who'll now be shouting from the rooftops that the sky is falling — despite the fact it already fell. [Hat tip to Jeffrey!] More »
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New survey results from KBB and Harris interactive show new-car shoppers seem to think the "anything but cute" Dodge Caliber is being hyped to death (it was the fairy, wasn't it?). It's high on the new study's buzz scale, but low on the "I'm interested in buying it" scale — though strong sales belie such interpretations. On the flip side, the Mercedes GL scores high in interest, but low on buzz, despite a major ad campaign with spots currently in heavy rotation on TV. Nonetheless, the two most buzzworthy cars, according to the study, were the Saturn Sky and Toyota FJ Cruiser, two models the media's been googley-eyed over since nearly ever. Let's look at it in our own, geek-intensive terms: Google results: More »
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Despite a truly amazing result buried in the press release for AutoPacific's latest customer-satisfaction survey — that the Hyundai Azera unexpectedly nailed top-car honors — the battle between GM and Toyota still pulled top billing. The Detroit-based consultancy found that among buyers of new luxury cars, Cadillac is the top rated premium/luxury brand for customer satisfaction. Cadillac also had the top rated entry luxury car, the CTS, though Lexus picked up top luxury car with its LS430. More results after the jump. More »
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Nothing gets our geek-freak on like survey results, filtered and cross-referenced by demographic group. Now, new such data-on-blogger action is out from Harris Interactive and Kelley Blue Book, under the banner of the AutoVIBES Demographics series of reports. (Is it getting warm in here?) One segment, an analysis of which new cars carry the most buzz-worthiness among consumers, revealed domestic cars are among the most talked about vehicles on the market — with only two imports making the list. We're a bit skeptical, not having seen the methodology, but it's interesting to note that the Dodge Charger appeared as having the most buzz among not only African Americans, but also among consumers considering trucks and those looking at hybrid/alternative fuel vehicles. Hmm. We wonder which cars have the most buzz among the blind. More »
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It's what we've known for years: The kids totally dig the online. A recent study by those people-watchers over at The Polk Center for Automotive Studies found very few first-time car buyers use traditional media when shopping for a car. Instead, the greatest percentage consider the interweb their most important informational tool. (Full disclosure: Whapow!) According to the study, this group includes 35 percent of first-time vehicle buyers, compared to 8.2 percent for TV, 4.4 percent for magazines, 3.6 percent for newspapers and 1.1 percent for radio. In addition, 0.2 percent said they ask the nice man down at the youth center and 0.05 percent take mescaline and wait for the cosmic indian chief to give them a sign. More »
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Automakers spend millions on qualitative market research, but few outside the industry really know what goes on inside one of their secretive new-model focus groups (sorry, automotive review sessions). Only those who've made it past the byzantine approval process know for sure. According to one reader, stories of marathon Ouija board sessions, cocktails spiked with brainwave-synchronization drugs and presentations by radical bodypart modification artists appear to be the fabrications of an overactive mind, but that doesn't mean the sessions are any less fun. (Well, maybe a little less fun.) You do see new car models before practically anyone else in the world, and even walk off with a few bucks. Read that reader's account of a recent, pre-market consumer review of the 2007 Ford Edge crossover in Los Angeles. More »
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