Kbb.com Reports: New-Car Shoppers Show Increased Interest in Audi, Ford, Hyundai

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Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:00am EST

Latest Market Intelligence Shows Significant Year-over-Year Gains in Brand
Consideration, kbb.com Traffic





IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest Kelley Blue
Book www.kbb.com Market Intelligence Brand Watch study and Market Watch
report, over the past year in-market new-car shoppers have shown increased
interest in the Audi, Ford and Hyundai brands.  According to the Q3 2009 Brand
Watch study, significant year-over-year brand consideration gains were made by
Audi in the luxury SUV/CUV segment, Ford in the non-luxury SUV/CUV and truck
segments and Hyundai in the luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback segment.  Kelley Blue
Book Market Watch report data also reveals significant increased
year-over-year traffic to new-car information on kbb.com for all three brands.

According to the latest Kelley Blue Book Market Watch report, all three of the
aforementioned brands have seen traffic gains to their new-car pages on Kelley
Blue Book's kbb.com when comparing October 2009 to October 2008.  Audi saw a
very significant year-over-year increase of 39 percent, while Ford climbed 30
percent and Hyundai climbed six percent.  

When comparing Q3 2008 to Q3 2009 in the Brand Watch study, Audi consideration
has more than doubled in the luxury SUV/CUV segment (from seven percent to 15
percent).  Ford has made similar significant year-over-year consideration
gains in the non-luxury SUV/CUV segment (from 28 to 40 percent), as well as
the truck segment (from 53 percent to 62 percent).  Hyundai also has shown a
year-over-year brand consideration improvement in the luxury
sedan/coupe/hatchback segment (from 13 percent to 18 percent).

"The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence data shows the tangible
results that can be attained when a brand comes to market with products people
like and back it up with strong marketing support," said James Bell, executive
market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.  "Audi has seen great success
in the past year with its Q5 and Q7 utility vehicles.  Ford has a strong
line-up with its popular utility vehicles like the Edge, Escape, Flex and
F-Series trucks, not to mention its new Taurus and Fusion sedans.  At the same
time, Hyundai has made significant gains in changing consumer perception of
its brand, especially with its entry into the luxury market with the Genesis
sedan and coupe."

Ford and Audi also were among the top five upward-moving brands in terms of
share of market on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com for the month of October 2009
when compared to October 2008.  Ford's gains were led by significant interest
in the Taurus, Fusion and F-150 SuperCrew Cab, and Audi's gains were driven by
significant interest in the Q5.

The Q3 Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch study was fielded to
3,018 in-market new-car shoppers on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com from July 1 -
September 28, 2009.  Kelley Blue Book's Brand Watch is an ongoing study
tracking and trending consumer perceptions, detailing strengths and weaknesses
of makes within each segment.  Kelley Blue Book's Market Watch is a
comprehensive business intelligence tool that acts as a leading sales
indicator by tracking and trending shopping behavior on Kelley Blue Book's
kbb.com.  For Market Intelligence sales inquiries on any vehicle, segment or
brand, please contact Kelly Kim, director of market intelligence services for
Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com, at 949-268-2756 or kkim@kbb.com.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) 
Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle
buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to
accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site,
www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the
New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for
new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and
services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official
Guide.  According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2009 Spring
Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive
information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online
vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com.  Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car
prices, car reviews and news, used car blue book values, auto classifieds and
car dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers
than kbb.com. 




SOURCE  Kelley Blue Book

Robyn Eckard, +1-949-268-3049, reckard@kbb.com, or Joanna McNally,
+1-949-268-3079, jmcnally@kbb.com, or Brenna Robinson, +1-949-267-4781,
berobinson@kbb.com, all of Kelley Blue Book
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