New African-American auto study looks at buyers' emotions, values 12-21-05

New African-American auto study looks at buyers' emotions, values

(December 20, 2005) A new study has been released that examines the emotions, values and behavior of African-Americans when they consider the purchase of an automotive vehicle. The research concludes that automakers can improve their chances of selling to black consumers by understanding their differences.

African Americans who are potential new vehicle buyers have expectations and needs that are similar to all consumers, but they clearly show a distinctive emotional profile on key aspects of the "super values" (Security, Freedom, Esteem, and Balance) that make up the experience owners have with their vehicles.

Super values define the largest clusters of values and emotions identified by Dr. Darrel Edwards, founder of Strategic Vision, from the initial 752,284 respondents who completed our worldwide survey on values, emotions and behavior.

For 14 years, Strategic Vision has been providing a syndicated Vehicle Experience Study to the automotive industry. The VES is the most comprehensive study in the industry in that it captures a data set including both the history, behavior and attribute ratings of 506 primary, secondary and tertiary attributes of the customers.

African Americans who completed Strategic Vision's questionnaire see themselves as very successful and highly motivated. They have a strong desire for personal power and ability to choose, but are careful about trusting others. They see themselves as strong individuals, who demand being recognized as such. African American new vehicle buyers have a strong sense of self-esteem.

The following data is from Strategic Vision's 2005 full-year Vehicle Experience Study:

Ten Most Purchased Brands By African Americans

Nissan

12.5%

Chevrolet

11.6%

Toyota

9.5%

Ford

9.2%

Chrysler

7.7%

Honda

5.3%

Dodge

4.4%

Hyundai

3.8%

Cadillac

3.3%

GMC

3.2%

Ten Most Purchased Models By African Americans

Nissan Altima

12.5%

Chrysler 300

3.3%

Ford F-Series (F150)

2.5%

Toyota Corolla

2.3%

Toyota Camry

2.1%

Honda Accord Sedan

2.1%

Chevrolet Trailblazer

1.8%

Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup

1.8%

Ford Explorer

1.8%

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

1.6%

The Total Quality Index captures the more complete experience the buyer has with his or her vehicle including both rational and emotional aspects. The index calculates the owners' responses to product attributes and the emotions that the experience creates and transforms the responses to a 1000 point scale for comparisons.

Following is an array of TQI scores that ranks models among African American buyers:

2003-2005 Strongest Models Among African American New Car Buyers

Categories

Best in Total Quality

TQI

1. Small Car

Honda Civic

883

2. Med./Large Car

Nissan Altima

893

3. Luxury Car

Mercedes E-Class

922

4. Pickup Truck

Nissan Titan

872

5. Minivan

Dodge Caravan

868

6. Small SUV

Nissan Murano

905

7. Med./Large SUV

Nissan Armada

893

8. Luxury SUV

Cadillac SRX

920

”Your vehicle makes a statement about you,” reports Dr. Darrel Edwards, Ph.D, ABPP, Strategic Vision's CEO and Founder. “Manufacturers need to be clearly aware what they can do to engender pride in ownership while making allowance for the buyers to express their individuality. Dealers need to listen to the African American community when they report that they are strongly committed to their sense of pride and individuality."

Why are Nissan product ratings high among African American new car buyers? According to the study, Nissan did exceptionally well on aspects of product coupled with a positive dealership experience that communicated to the buyers' sense of pride and individuality - cornerstones for positive regard among the African American buyers.

For more information about the study, contact Christopher Chaney, Vice-President and Director of Special Projects, 858-576-7141 or chris.chaney@strategicvision.com .

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