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Automotive Market Research & Auto Industry News
The latest automotive news and racing news along with statistics on automotive enthusiasts, automotive market segments, vehicle registration data, and basic search engine opimization (SEO) tips for automotive websites. Our automotive news feeds are updated 24 hours a day so feel free to bookmark this page. Click on a link to go to the original news source; a new browser window will open.
Today's Automotive Industry News
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New Study Documents Long-Term Benefits of Rate Regulatory Reforms in ... - PR Web (press release) Wednesday Feb 22 2012 3:05 pm  PR Web (press release)New Study Documents Long-Term Benefits of Rate Regulatory Reforms in ...PR Web (press release)A new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC) provides clear evidence of the long-term positive effects of rate regulatory reform in automobile insurance markets. The results of this study show that regulatory reforms have led to a number of ...and more » Read more... |
NASCAR teams test Bosh-built engines Wednesday Feb 22 2012 3:00 pm Before NASCAR announced that Sprint Cup cars would be using electronic fuel injection in 2012, some
racing teams ? Hendrick Motorsports and Penske Racing, for instance ? had already turned to the world leader in
electronic fuel injection technology, Bosch, to prepare fuel-injected V-8 engines as test beds. Read more... |
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Slow year for automotive sector following reduced loan approvals - The Borneo Post Wednesday Feb 22 2012 11:28 am  Slow year for automotive sector following reduced loan approvalsThe Borneo PostThis was noted to have led to a lot of rejected loan applications from potential vehicle buyers. OSK Research stated that the new guidelines did not only apply to the hire purchase segment but across the board. “According to Proton Holdings Bhd ... Read more... |
Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: XO Group, Equifax, Penske ... - Bradenton Herald Wednesday Feb 22 2012 7:58 am Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: XO Group, Equifax, Penske ...Bradenton HeraldBy Zacks Investment Research, Inc. CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ -- Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry's leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank ...and more » Read more... |
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Analysts keeping auto sales growth projection intact - The Sun Daily Wednesday Feb 22 2012 7:41 am Analysts keeping auto sales growth projection intactThe Sun DailyPETALING JAYA (Feb 23, 2012): The steep 25% drop in car sales volume in January was a "shocker" to the market, but the decline was due to seasonal impact in a holiday-shortened month that came when the market was adjusting to stricter lending rules and ... Read more... |
Report: Average vehicle ownership hits record-high - MLive.com Wednesday Feb 22 2012 4:38 am  MLive.comReport: Average vehicle ownership hits record-highMLive.comThe Southfield-based research firm also reported vehicles originally bought used climbed to an all-time high of 50 months. According to Mark Seng, who wrote the report, a number of factors are likely to have played a role in the numbers, which are both ...US Drivers Holding on to Cars LongerMSN Autos (blog)Study says owning vehicles longer lowers consumer brand loyaltyExaminer.comAmericans keep their new cars for almost six yearsLos Angeles TimesSacramento Bee -Autoblog (blog)all 53 news articles » Read more... |
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2012 Chicago Auto Show an Indicator of Growing Economy - Sacramento Bee Wednesday Feb 22 2012 3:37 am 2012 Chicago Auto Show an Indicator of Growing EconomySacramento BeeSpectacular exhibits packed with new products left consumers primed for a return to the market. Interactive engagement showed off new technology and taught everyone that the recent recession didn't slow down product research and development.and more » Read more... |
Nissan Invites Facebook Fans to Design a Custom 370Z - ReadMedia (press release) Wednesday Feb 22 2012 1:04 am Nissan Invites Facebook Fans to Design a Custom 370ZReadMedia (press release)After its debut, the one-off 370Z will take to the auto-show circuit, traveling to ZCON 2012 and the 2012 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Staff at leading car-enthusiast publications, forums and blogs will also be invited to take ... Read more... |
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Original Parts Group - Chevy High Performance Magazine (blog) Wednesday Feb 22 2012 1:04 am  Chevy High Performance Magazine (blog)Original Parts GroupChevy High Performance Magazine (blog)At the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, the OPGI team blew the minds of show exhibitors with the sleek, eye-catching, gold 1972 Chevelle SS Convertible. The award was presented on the iconic 100th anniversary of Chevrolet “driving, building, ... Read more... |
Research and Markets: India Tyre Market Forecast & Opportunities 2017 - SunHerald.com Tuesday Feb 21 2012 11:15 pm  eYugoslavia.comResearch and Markets: India Tyre Market Forecast & Opportunities 2017SunHerald.comThe Indian tyre market has shown robust growth in 2011 and is further expected to continue its thrust and grow at a CAGR of around 14% till 2017 due to increasing number of automobile sales in the country. With extremely low automobile market ...Indian tyre market studiedEuropean Rubber Journal (subscription)all 4 news articles » Read more... |
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Auto industry turnaround is a two-party success - The Hill (blog) Tuesday Feb 21 2012 10:30 pm  Boston.comAuto industry turnaround is a two-party successThe Hill (blog)The company finished 2011 by increasing US sales by 14 percent versus 11 percent for the entire auto industry. GM's market share increased to 19 percent, the first share increase for the company since 2002. All four GM brands increased their total ...Artful swerves on auto bailoutTraverse City Record EagleFACT CHECK: The auto bailout is mythologized, for good and ill, in campaignWashington Postall 275 news articles » Read more... |
Life Insurance in India, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2016 Favorable ... - MarketWatch (press release) Tuesday Feb 21 2012 10:20 pm Life Insurance in India, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2016 Favorable ...MarketWatch (press release)22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: India contains the world's twelfth-largest life insurance market and the fourth-largest in the Asia-Pacific region.Personal Accident and Health Insurance in China, Key Trends and Opportunities ...SYS-CON Media (press release)all 12 news articles » Read more... |
Definition: Automotive qualitative vs. quantitative research
Qualitative market research gives you a high level view. It is obtained from a small group of respondents and the data isn't analyzed with statistical techniques. A focus group is an example of qualitative research. A focus group may give you some answers but is often a starting point for quantitative research.Quantitative market research gives you details. It is obtained from a larger number of respondents and the data is analyzed using statistical methods. Quantitative research results are given using a margin of error.
Where enthusiasts get information to buy parts
Before buying products, enthusiasts (depending on market segment) rely on the following sources:
Enthusiast Web sites: 60%-85%
Internet search: 50%-75%
Manufacturer Web site: 50%-70%
Mail order catalog: 40%-65%
Chain automotive store: 30%-50%
Friend/relative: 30%-50%
Social media (Facebook, etc.): 2%-15%
Personal vehicles registered in the United States
There are 254,000,000 vehicles registered for personal use in 117,538,000 households (2010 US Census Department data).
Automotive direct mail response rates
Rented mailing lists response rates are typically 0.5% to 1.0%, sometimes as high as 1.5%.House file response rates are typically 1.0% to 10%, sometimes as high as 15% to 20%.
Automotive email delivery, open and click-through rates
Rented email list delivery rates should be 95% or more. Open rates can range from 2% to 5% depending on subject line. Click-through rates are typically 0.25% to 0.50%, sometimes as high as 0.75%. Repeat emails can increase the response rate of a second email by 50%.
House file email delivery rates should be 98% to 100%. Open rates should range from 15% to 20% or more. Click-through rates are typically 1.0% to 3.0%, sometimes as high as 5% to 8%.
Automotive enthusiast buying cycle
Many enthusiasts will take time before buying. Here is the length of time between when an enthusiast decides to buy a part, and when it is actually purchased (depending on market segment):
1 day: 5%
Less than one week: 30%-35%
1 week: 18%-25%
2 weeks: 20%-25%
3-4 weeks: 10%-17%
1 month or longer: 5%-10%
Definition: Margin of error
When reporting results for quantitative research, margin of error is used to describe the amount of random sampling error in the data. All margins of error are based on a confidence level. All Hedges & Company research uses a 95% confidence level which means if a survey were repeated in identical conditions, 95 times out of 100 the results would always be within the margin of error.Margin of error examples
Automotive parts retailers: 381 responses are required for a margin of error +/-5%. 469 responses are required for a margin of error of +/-4.5%. 769 responses are required for a margin of error of +/-3.5%.
Automotive enthusiast consumers: 385 responses are required for a margin of error +/-5%. 475 required for +/-4.5%. 1,067 required for +/-3%.
Annual spending on auto parts and accessories
There is a big range of investment in the hobby. Here is the amount of money spent each year by enthusiasts on automotive performance parts and accessories (depending on market segment):
$10,001+ per year: 10%-15%
$7,501-$10,000: 5%-10%
$5,001-$7,500: 15%-20%
$2,501-$5,000: 25%-35%
$1,000-$2,500: 20%-30%
Less than $1,000: 10%-15%
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the importance of metadata and content
When designing a web site for search engine optimization for the automotive market, pay close attention to the following elements on your page.
Metadata in <head> section:
Page title <title>Title here</title>
Page description <meta name="description" content="Description here" />
Content in <body> section:
Content rich in words relevant to your page's main subject.
Headline tags <h1>Main headline here</h1> (ideally just one h1 per page) and <h2>Subheads here</h2>
Make the most important words bold using <strong></strong> tags.
Add alt tags to images that reflect the page topic using the code alt="Alt tag here" wtihin your <img src="/image.gif"/> tags.
Size of market segments
Here are the approximate size of various market segments in the automotive specialty equipment market. Due to extensive crossover between segments and enthusiasts owning multiple vehicles, this adds up to more than 100%.
Street performance: 70%
Truck/SUV: 55%
Passenger car: 45%
Restoration: 35%
Compact performance: 30%
Racing: 30%
Street rod/custom: 25%
Off-road: 20%