AutoVIBES, a monthly automotive omnibus study from Harris Interactive® and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research tracking 34 new model launches, reports that four out of the top five most buzzworthy vehicles come out of Detroit's domestic stable. For the third straight month, Chrysler's all-new 300 claims the No.1 slot. Daimler-Chrysler hits another home run in July, with car-buyers ranking the Dodge Magnum at No. 2. Detroit rounds out the top five with the Pontiac GTO and the Chevrolet Colorado. The only foreign manufacturer with a vehicle in the top five is Nissan with its Titan pickup; it has been holding tight to a top-five slot for three months straight.
ÂJuly 2004: Top 5 Most Buzzworthy New Vehicle Launches
- 1. 2005 Chrysler 300
- 2. 2004 Dodge Magnum
- 3. 2004 Nissan Titan
- 4. 2005 Pontiac GTO
- 5. 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
"Detroit called 2004 'the year of the car' and it's impressive to see three domestic cars in the AutoVIBES top 5," said Charlie, Vogelheim, executive editor, Kelley Blue Book. "Chrysler can claim a victory with multiple well-styled new products."
The top five were determined using a compilation of survey data collected among in-market new vehicle shoppers (within 12 months from a new purchase or lease) during July 2004. Factors that were taken into account were the awareness, favorability, consideration and attribute ratings associated with each vehicle. All vehicles tracked in AutoVIBES are 'new' nameplates. Redesigned models were not considered.
"The buzz associated with these new launches is having a profound effect on the overall interest in these domestic brands," said Rick Wainschel, director of Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research. "Consideration of the Chrysler brand in AutoVIBES, for example, has almost doubled since the beginning of the year. The success of the 300 here and in the marketplace follows a similarly positive reaction to the Chrysler Crossfire, which held a top five spot in the study late last year."
AutoVIBES is a monthly omnibus survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and over who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The survey, administered online by Harris Interactive, is conducted the third or fourth week of each month for five days by recruiting active car shoppers from the Kelley Blue Book Web site (www.kbb.com), the most visited Web site among in-market vehicle buyers. The study was designed and analyzed jointly by Harris Interactive and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research.
The data were weighted by demographics and propensity to reflect the general U.S. adult population of in-market vehicle buyers. Though this sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy
