US Consumers Remain Unwilling to Sacrifice Current Priorities in Vehicle Purchases for Fuel Efficiency
by Steve Cypher on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Green Attributes of Vehicles Still Lag Far Behind Quality as well as Brand Strength and Active Safety
DETROIT – Despite just six months ago paying the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history, only 1 in 10 Americans would be willing today to pay more for an environmentally friendly vehicle, notes Alexander Edwards, president of automotive research for Strategic Vision, Inc. Strategic Vision is a company of clinical psychologists and business professionals with more than 30 years of experience studying how and why consumers make buying decisions and the factors that drive owner satisfaction and loyalty.
Edwards is a featured panelist on a forum entitled “Does Green Matter in a Try-to-Survive Market?” to be held at 9 a.m. EDT, on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The event is in conjunction with the three-day annual Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress at Cobo Center.
Edwards will detail how American consumers continue to have a long list of priorities for their next vehicle purchase that rank higher than having a fuel efficient vehicle. According to Strategic Vision research, out of 124 attributes cited by consumers for their next vehicle purchase, overall environmental friendliness of the vehicle ranked 53rd, emissions controls ranked 87th, fuel economy/good mileage ranked 120th and fuel efficiency ranked last at 124th.
Despite the low rankings for fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness on consumers’ list of importance, Edwards asserts there remains opportunity for automobile manufacturers to market green vehicles.
“When customers do not have to compromise on styling, room, power and price to obtain the best fuel economy and environmental friendliness in class, they will make the ’smart, green choice’,” he added.
Source: ATX Group
