American Automotive is Back!

NEW YORK, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American automotive industry had traveled a tough road through the economic downturn, but according to a new complementary study and accompanying infographic from local market consumer research firm Scarborough, the American auto industry will be putting the pedal to the metal this coming year.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120307/NY66324 )

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090514/NY17046LOGO )

Scarborough's automotive study reveals that 7% of American households, representing 8 million households, plan to purchase a new vehicle in the next year. Further, more than half (65%) of American households currently have a domestic vehicle, and 46% of these domestic vehicle households purchased those domestic vehicles new. 42% of American households that own domestic new vehicles either plan to purchase a new vehicle in the next 12 months or already own a domestic vehicle which was purchased new in model year 2000 or earlier – representing purchase opportunity.

"This automotive study further explores the Domestic New Vehicle Owner revealing where they can be reached and identifying activities and issues that are important to them," says Brian Condon, executive vice president of commercial development for Scarborough. "By understanding the Domestic New Vehicle Owners, manufacturers, dealers, media companies and marketers can capitalize on these prospective consumers and convert them into domestic new vehicle sales this coming year."

Domestic New Vehicle Owners (DNVOs) can be found online as 35% of DNVOs spend 10 hours or more per week online. Additionally, 16% of DNVOs who are online researched automotive information online in the past 30 days. More than half (62%) of all households with domestic new vehicles purchased their vehicles within 20 miles of their home. Marketers can reach DNVOs in their home towns; the top three local markets for households with domestic new vehicles are: Detroit (49%); Flint (42%) and St. Louis (40%).

More information on Domestic New Vehicle Owners can be found in the complimentary study issued by Scarborough and is available for download, along with the accompanying infographic at www.Scarborough.com/FreeStudies.php. In addition to the details within this study, Scarborough's measurements consist of further automotive insights including: after-market information, types of vehicles purchased, stores shopped at for auto products, auto repair stats and more.

Continue the dialogue with Scarborough over Twitter by reaching out to @ScarboroughInfo using hashtag #AutoIndustry and be sure to visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/ScarboroughResearch.

To obtain additional reports on your markets or your brand, please contact Brad Sherer, Manager of Stat Shop Services, at [email protected].

This data is from Scarborough USA+, Release 1 2011. Scarborough measures 210,000 adults aged 18+ annually across a wide variety of media, lifestyle, shopping and demographic categories.

About Scarborough Research

Scarborough ([email protected]) measures American life. Our consumer insights reflect shopping patterns, media usage across platforms and lifestyle trends for adults. Media professionals and marketers use Scarborough insights to make smarter marketing/business decisions on things like ad placement, multicultural targeting, and sponsorship opportunities. The company's core syndicated consumer insight studies in 77 Top‐Tier Markets, its Multi‐Market Study and its national USA+ Study are Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited. Other products and services include Scarborough Mid‐Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and Custom Research Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations), sports teams and leagues and out‐of‐home media companies. Surveying more than 210,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Company.

SOURCE Scarborough Research