Survey Says: MPG Matters

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Didn’t you always have this nagging suspicion that MPG might be influencing the purchasing decision? At least a little bit? A brand-new survey says you are right!

  • 42 percent of people surveyed say fuel economy is “extremely important” in their decision to purchase new 2011 models – a 13.5 percent increase versus 10 years ago
  • 37 percent indicated they expect fuel economy will have the “greatest impact” on their next new vehicle purchase
  • After ranking 16th in 2001, fuel economy was listed in the top five most important purchase reasons for small utility vehicles in 2011
  • Fuel economy was listed in the top 10 most important purchase reasons for sports car buyers for the first time in 2011
  • Fuel economy as a top purchase reason for medium utility vehicles jumped 14 spots from 2001 to 2011

Who would have thunk it?

This is the result of the New Vehicle Customer Study, conducted by Maritz Research. Ford, which issued this press release, is happy to hear that “the Maritz Research survey results also track with Ford’s 2011 research and sales trends.”

It’s better to have two studies confirming the obvious than sitting in a meeting where someone says: “MPG matters? Show me the research!”

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • SPPPP SPPPP on Jun 21, 2011

    So ... People say they care about MPG. But this survey doesn't actually monitor whether they are telling the truth or not! I believe that they care, but think about it ... You got these people to list at lesat TEN priorities that they value in a car. How much weight do you think #10 has? Frankly, if you can find a way to completely satisfy 2 or 3 priorities in a new car purchase, I think you are doing well. There is no car that will perfectly satisfy all 10. So how much impact does MPG have on a sports car (or other car) decision? Nobody really knows.

  • Greg Locock Greg Locock on Jun 21, 2011

    I'd have thought some keen marketing bloke could have done some sort of regression analysis on this. Do people really care about mpg, or true cost per mile driven, or what? My guess is that TCO/mile is far more important than a minor part like fuel cost.

  • Doctor olds Doctor olds on Jun 21, 2011

    People claim mileage is very important, but trucks still account for 50% of all sales in America and high mileage small cars around a much smaller share. It appears buying choices do not support the claim.

  • Dynasty Dynasty on Jun 22, 2011

    When I bought a car ten years ago, fuel economy was very important in my purchase decision. Thank god. Now I'm not one of those assholes in a big truck or SUV dropping $100+ a week into the tank. However, for my next purchase, MPG will take a back seat to RWD & HP. But I'm still not going to be an asshole in a large gas guzzling truck or an SUV.

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