According to a new survey by Consumer Reports National Research Center not all car brands are considered equal by American consumers. “Buy American” is a strong mindset in current car buyers as about 80 percent of respondents who are considering buying a new car are likely to consider a domestic brand.
Ford Motor Co., the only big US carmaker who did not seek Federal Government assistance in the global financial crisis, benefited the most from the recent problems in the auto industry. Ford had the largest gain in new car buyers from last year’s survey; up 17 percentage points. Survey respondents looking to buy a GM car were up 6 percentage points, whereas Chrysler fell 25 percentage points since the previous survey.
The most important aspects for current new car buyers are quality, fuel economy, safety, price and value. Less important considerations are brand, environmental friendliness or manufacturer stability.
So if the American automakers can deliver what consumers want then they will take advantage of the current increased patriotism among American car buyers.