A survey conducted by business intelligence firm TNS, revealed that 21% of Americans believe Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have been affected by the earthquake in Japan, and are less likely to purchase their vehicles for that very reason.
Though the results throw into question the geographic and current affairs savvy of our neighbours to the south, they also demonstrate the very real communication challenge that automakers face to convince Americans about the quality of their products in spite of the disaster.
In total, 27% of those polled are less likely to buy vehicles from Japanese and Korean automakers; 46% are worried about the reduced availability of parts, 37% are afraid purchase prices might increase and 36% believe a shortage in parts will inevitably lead to price hikes.
On a larger scale, 63% think Toyota is the most heavily hit, with Honda (47%), Mitsubishi (43%), Nissan (43%) and Mazda (30%) rounding out the top 5. Subaru (26%) is the name that came up the least.
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| Hyundai Sonata (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Though the results throw into question the geographic and current affairs savvy of our neighbours to the south, they also demonstrate the very real communication challenge that automakers face to convince Americans about the quality of their products in spite of the disaster.
In total, 27% of those polled are less likely to buy vehicles from Japanese and Korean automakers; 46% are worried about the reduced availability of parts, 37% are afraid purchase prices might increase and 36% believe a shortage in parts will inevitably lead to price hikes.
On a larger scale, 63% think Toyota is the most heavily hit, with Honda (47%), Mitsubishi (43%), Nissan (43%) and Mazda (30%) rounding out the top 5. Subaru (26%) is the name that came up the least.