A recent J.D. Power and associates study has concludes that older buyers avoid purchasing certain models because they are imports, and younger buyers avoid certain models because they're domestic.
The 2007 Avoider study examines the reasons that consumers fail to consider particular models when shopping for a new vehicle, and finds that pro-domestic and pro-import purchase sentiment is tied strongly to age. The younger a person is, the more strongly they avoid domestic vehicles.
The North Central region of the USA contains the highest proportion of domestic vehicle buyers, at 41%. Styling and cost are the two main reasons this group cites for avoiding imports during shopping.
The Northeast and West regions contain the highest proportions of import buyers who say they avoid specific domestic models because of concerns about reliability, poor quality and depreciation. Fuel mileage is a noted concern as well- though the study reports that it's often perceived, not actual mileage that is taken into consideration.
"Many buyers continue to have unfavorable impressions of domestic models due to concerns about quality, reliability and depreciation issues, even though the quality of many of these domestic products is on par with or exceeds that of their import counterparts," said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates. "Domestic manufacturers need to get this message out in front of younger buyers and convince them to put their models on their shopping list."
The 2007 Avoider study examines the reasons that consumers fail to consider particular models when shopping for a new vehicle, and finds that pro-domestic and pro-import purchase sentiment is tied strongly to age. The younger a person is, the more strongly they avoid domestic vehicles.
The North Central region of the USA contains the highest proportion of domestic vehicle buyers, at 41%. Styling and cost are the two main reasons this group cites for avoiding imports during shopping.
The Northeast and West regions contain the highest proportions of import buyers who say they avoid specific domestic models because of concerns about reliability, poor quality and depreciation. Fuel mileage is a noted concern as well- though the study reports that it's often perceived, not actual mileage that is taken into consideration.
"Many buyers continue to have unfavorable impressions of domestic models due to concerns about quality, reliability and depreciation issues, even though the quality of many of these domestic products is on par with or exceeds that of their import counterparts," said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates. "Domestic manufacturers need to get this message out in front of younger buyers and convince them to put their models on their shopping list."