NADAguides Q2 Consumer Market Interest Report Reveals a Surge for Korean & Japanese Manufacturers

COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights

• NADAguides, the most comprehensive vehicle information provider on the Internet today, announces its Consumer Market Interest Report for the second quarter of 2011 – revealing a strong interest gain in Korean and Japanese models, including the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, which became the most researched vehicle on NADAguides.com in Q2, as its consumer interest grew by 49 percent.
• Consumer interest leaders on NADAguides.com for Q2  were the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2011 Ford F-150, 2011 Toyota Camry, 2011 Nissan Altima and the 2011 Kia Sorento.
• Data analysis reveals a tremendous boost for Japanese manufacturers as consumer interest for the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Altima grew 47 percent and 161 percent, respectively, which moved both vehicles into the top five most researched for Q2.  Consumer interest in Q1 2011 was dominated by Ford and Korean models: 2011 Ford F-150, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2011 Kia Sorrento, 2011 Ford Explorer and the 2011 Ford Mustang.  
• Although there was movement among consumer interest for all of the top five vehicles from Q1 to Q2, the 2011 Ford Explorer and the 2011 Ford Mustang were the only two vehicles to completely fall out of the top five.  The Explorer saw a decrease in consumer interest of nearly 30 percent, while the Mustang saw a mere drop of only 1.7 percent.  The fall in consumer interest for the Ford Explorer can be attributed to the fact that the vehicle was launched during Q1 and supported by heavy marketing, creating tremendous buzz and making it hard for any vehicle to continue at that level of interest over an extended period of time.  Additionally, analysts at NADAguides suggest that with a mere 20 days-supply, the Ford Explorer may be difficult for consumers to find.
• Although no European models made the NADAguides.com top five list in 2011 Q2, models such as the  2011 MINI Cooper Countryman and the 2012 Fiat 500 are expected to see substantial growth and consumer interest as availability opens up across the country during 2011 Q3.

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Key Quotes

• Troy Snyder, director of product development, NADAguides:  "Although domestics, the Ford F-150 specifically, have been leading in consumer interest on NADAguides.com for quite some time, the Japanese, Korean and European manufactures have been knocking on their door.  Our analysts predict it will only be a matter of time before the domestic brands lose their top ranking as the most researched on NADAguides.com.  With vehicles like the Hyundai Sonata overtaking the Ford F-150 and the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima increasing in consumer interest by such large spreads, we think this might even be realized within the 2011 calendar year."
• Jonathan Banks, Automotive Analyst, NADA Used Car Guide: "With speculation that fuel prices would reach $5.00, we expected to see smaller, more fuel efficient models in the top five during Q2 2011. Looking ahead, we anticipate that light truck values will do well during the upcoming quarter primarily due to the stability in gas prices and very low used supply.  We were already anticipating a 6 percent increase in truck and SUV prices from used supply alone.  If the current gas price situation continues there may be room for prices to increase even more."  
• Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America: "Sonata continues to be a huge hit with consumers thanks to its innovative design, advanced technology and all-four cylinder engine lineup delivering best-in-class fuel economy.  Beating out the Ford F-150 as the most researched car on NADAguides.com is a testament to Sonata's appeal to all types of car buyers."

The NADAguides Consumer Market Interest Report

The NADAguides Consumer Market Interest Report is a collection of data points from hundreds of thousands of research behaviors on NADAguides.com each quarter. NADAguides' Consumer Market Interest Report is an ongoing study tracking and trending consumer research patterns, purchase intents, and market and data interests within new vehicles.

About NADAguides

NADAguides (http://www.nadaguides.com) is the largest publisher of vehicle pricing and information for new and used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, and manufactured homes.  NADAguides offers in-depth shopping and research tools in addition to the most market-reflective pricing available. The company also produces software, raw data, web services, web-syndicated products and print guidebooks.

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