Tustin, CA (July 28, 2009) – Newly released research from Auto Pacific shows 15 percent of new car buyers in the United States say they would consider purchasing their next vehicle from China, and 11 percent would consider buying a car from India, without knowing specific brands or vehicles. This compares with 16 percent who said they would consider a vehicle from Korea, which has been marketing vehicles in the U. S. since the 1980s.
“As Hyundai and Kia have been on the American scene for decades now, it’s surprising that consideration for Chinese and Indian brands, sight unseen, would be about as strong as it is for the Korean brands,” said George Peterson, president of automotive research firm AutoPacific and author of the study. “However, with so many premium and high-tech non-automotive products already being made in China and purchased by Americans, why not automobiles too? It appears that buyers in America are willing to give Chinese and Indian vehicles a chance right out of the box.”
The study shows Chinese and Indian considerers are more likely to currently own Japanese and Korean brands, indicating that these brands may have the most competition from the new entries, rather than domestic brands like Chrysler, Ford and GM. The study also revealed that while those who would consider a car from China and India rate reliability and durability high, they are not as interested in the dynamics of a vehicle like handling, braking and acceleration.
Popularity: 3% [?]