More North American Car Shoppers Consider Asian Vehicles First

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Washington DC September 25, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that a growing number of car buyers consider buying an Asian-brand vehicle first and fewer are considering buying domestic, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates.

Almost 20 percent of new buyers surveyed recently cited inadequate gas mileage as a reason for not buying a specific model- up from almost 17 percent a year ago.

According to the Detroit News, that's the sharpest year-to-year jump in the study's history. The study results, released Wednesday, help explain a sharp drop in truck sales and point to the challenges facing Detroit's Big Three automakers.

According to Autodata Corp., the domestic brands' combined market share shrank to 45.3 percent in August, compared to 50.9 percent a year ago. But their share was above a low of 42.7 percent recorded in July.

The study surveyed almost 30,000 new car buyers between May and July and found 63 percent considered buying an Asian brand - up from 60 percent last year. The number who considered buying a domestic brand fell to 55 percent from 58 percent.