Consumer Reports Survey: Car Buyers Are Thinking American, But Not All Brands Are...

Consumer Reports Survey: Car Buyers Are Thinking American, But Not All Brands
Are Equal

Survey finds interest in Ford and GM products up, but down for Chrysler
products

YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Buy American" resonates
strongly with new car shoppers -- 81 percent of respondents looking to buy a
new car are likely to consider a domestic brand, according to a nationally
representative survey by Consumer Reports.

The interest in buying American was significantly higher than the percentage
of new car shoppers considering Asian (47 %) and European (46%) models.

Respondents did not view all domestic brands the same. Ford has benefited the
most from the recent turmoil in the auto market, with the largest gain in
new-car buyers who say that they are likely to consider buying a Ford model --
up 17 percentage points compared with a year ago.

Those considering buying a GM model were up six percentage points, but those
considering a Chrysler model were down 25 percentage points among new-car
buyers and 28 percentage points among all respondents. With relatively few new
models in the short-term pipeline, it may be some time before the restructured
Chrysler can improve on the attributes that now matter most to consumers.

"The Detroit 3 have been in the spotlight all year," said Rik Paul, Automotive
Editor, Consumer Reports. "Ford was the only one of the Detroit 3 that did not
seek federal assistance, and this has likely helped bolster its reputation
among car buyers."

A full story detailing the survey results were made available this morning at
www.ConsumerReports.org and at http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars.

Only nine percent of those interviewed are likely to buy a car in the next
year. That's less than half of the percentage (19%) of new-car buyers in a
June 2008 survey, suggesting that the market may not rebound for some time.
Overall, four in 10 consumers said they have put off purchasing a new vehicle,
a percentage that reflects the national sales decrease. Among those
considering a purchase, 61 percent are looking specifically to buy a used car.

Among respondents who said that they were less likely to consider buying a
model from a Detroit automaker, the top reasons for Chrysler and Ford were
that the company's products aren't appealing. By contrast, the leading reasons
for not considering a GM model were concern about the company's future and the
economic condition of the company, even though GM had emerged from bankruptcy
weeks prior to the survey.

The most important factors to consumers

For most respondents, the most important consideration in deciding which
vehicle to buy is price, followed by fuel economy, safety, and quality. But
among active new-car buyers, fuel economy was the most important factor, with
quality and safety also rising above price. These are considerably more
important than brand, styling, an automaker's stability or incentives.

In these lean times, however, automakers are becoming increasingly creative in
addressing the age-old question, "What can I do to sell you this car today?"
With a broad range of offers available, new-car shoppers who consider
manufacturer incentives important to their choice of vehicle cite a long
warranty, discounted price, and low interest rate as most influential to their
purchase decision. These are considered more important than cash rebates or
programs involving a "job-loss protection" promotion and free or discounted
gasoline.

Help for car buyers

Consumer Reports offers a wide range of tools to help guide car buyers in
making smart decisions:
-- Ratings and recommended vehicles: Subscribers to
www.ConsumerReports.org
can access all Consumer Reports road-test reports, as well as test
scores and ratings for reliability, owner cost, owner satisfaction,
and
overall safety.
-- Price reports: Car buyers who want to get the best deal can take
advantage of Consumer Reports' New Car Price Reports and Used Car
Price Reports.

-- Free auto buying advice: Car buyers interested in learning a
step-by-step strategy on the smart way to buy a new or used car, from
'how to do your homework' to 'negotiating at the
dealership,' are welcome to read Consumer Reports' new- and
used-car buying advice.

This latest Auto Pulse survey was conducted by the Consumer Reports National
Research Center using a nationally representative probability sample.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,777 adults (aged 18+) whose
household owns at least one vehicle. Interviewing took place from July 30 to
August 3, 2009. The full Auto Pulse survey report is available online at
www.ConsumerReports.org.

With more than 7 million print and online subscribers, Consumer Reports is one
of the most trusted sources for information and advice on consumer products
and services. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program of any U.S.
publication or Web site and owns and operates a 327-acre Auto Test Center in
Connecticut. The organization's auto experts have decades of experience in
driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To subscribe, consumers can call
1-800-234-1645 or visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

SOURCE Consumer Reports

Scott Merritt, Brandware Public Relations, +1-770-649-0880 x302,
smerritt@brandwaregroup.com, for Consumer Reports; or Douglas Love of Consumer
Reports, +1-914-378-2437, dlove@consumer.org