RDA GROUP REPORTS: Seven of the Top 10 Unmet Needs Vehicle Owners Have Relate to Safety and Performance; Significantly Improved Fuel Efficiency Ranks No. 1

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (Jan. 22, 2008) – Results of RDA Group’s recent Auto-IdeationTM III study – that asked new vehicle owners to rank the importance of over 500 unmet needs – puts “significant improvement” in fuel economy at the top of the list. Other issues relating to violent collision protection, vehicle entrapment, child back-over avoidance, lane changing assistance, glare elimination and 360 degree visibility follow as the next most important needs today’s vehicle owners want manufacturers to address when developing future vehicles.

“To have optimal market impact and meet more of the most important needs vehicle consumers have, automotive manufacturers must carefully prioritize their research and development resources,” said Jim Thomas, senior vice president for the RDA Group. “The Auto-Ideation III study not only identifies the top needs among owners in each of 12 car and truck vehicle categories, but also by such key demographic groups as younger versus older vehicle drivers and male versus female drivers.”

The study also found that:

-- Compared to car owners, truck owners have more needs relative to their vehicle’s larger size and its impact on visibility – particularly “child back-over prevention” and “360 degree visibility from the driver’s seat.”

-- Compared to their younger counterparts, older drivers are particularly concerned about their weakening vision as they age. They want “blind spot alerts when changing lanes,” “glare elimination” and “vision assistance when driving in heavy rain or low light conditions.”

-- Compared to their male counterparts, women drivers also place more importance on visibility needs, as well as needs related to vehicle service/maintenance including “having in-vehicle service alerts in plain English.”

The Auto-Ideation III study provides automotive manufacturers and their suppliers the insight needed to prioritize their own new product development resources for greater product success. Almost 8,200 new vehicle owners ranked the importance of unmet needs in areas such as safety, performance, visibility, comfort, convenience, security, storage, telecommunications and service/maintenance.

This Syndicated Auto-Ideation III study targeted 2006/2007 model new car and truck owners who were interviewed in an online survey conducted during November and December 2007.

All three of the Auto-Ideation studies conducted from 2003 to 2007 have identified thousands of unmet needs in vehicles. For the first time, Auto-Ideation III is able to provide study subscribers with importance validation of hundreds of these thought-provoking needs that new vehicles owners have identified. To purchase a copy of the study, interested parties can call (248) 332-5000.

RDA Group (established in 1969) is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. RDA Group is a global market research and consulting firm that conducts advanced product research, customer satisfaction and quality tracking studies for the automotive, financial services, health care, utilities and temporary staffing industries. For more information about the RDA Group, visit www.rdagroup.com.