Consumers Favour Green Cars in New Auto Survey

According to the results of a new international survey, almost 60 per cent of consumers favour new environmentally friendly car technology over conventional designs, even if money was no object.

The survey was carried out by Synovate Motoresearch– a market research organisation – and catalogued the thoughts of 13,500 urban consumers representing 18 nations including the US and China – the two globally dominant countries for car sales.  As well as highlighting how the majority would opt for a green car, it also demonstrated that more than 30 per cent intended to walk, use buses or pedal to work in 2009 for two reasons – one, to save money that would be spent on petrol and, two, to reduce their carbon footprints.

“More and more, owning a car may not be viewed as that responsible”, Motoresearch’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott Miller, explained in a statement issued in tandem with the survey results.  “But car makers are producing more and more options that will appeal to this fast-growing group of green-inclined people.  Cars are freedom, and people value freedom. If they continue to enjoy guilt-free freedom, the car will stay a large part of daily lives for many people”, he added.

New Environmentally Friendly Car Technology

The survey asked applicants to respond on the basis of them having an unlimited budget and select “green” or “dream”.  In other words, new, environmentally friendly car technology or the fastest, most powerful and sleekest-looking car imaginable.  With this in mind, almost 40 per cent favoured “green” over “dream” while, for 20 per cent, they were the same thing.

Nationally speaking, in excess of Chinese applicants went for “green”, while the same was true for 42 per cent of US consumers.  China also produced the highest number of respondents prepared to exchange cars for public transport, while the US featured among the countries least likely to.

Close to 2,000 of those surveyed said that the global economic situation would not stop them purchasing a new car by June 2010 – a statement most evident in Turkey, Egypt and India and something which, according to Synovate, pointed to these three countries as useful marketplaces for car makers to focus on.   On the other hand, Germans and Australians were least likely to make a new car purchase in the coming years

As well as China, the US, Turkey, Egypt, India, Germany and Australia – the “green” versus “dream” car study also drew in participants from the following 11 nations:

• Brazil
• Canada
• France
• Greece
• Japan
• Korea
• Malaysia
• South Africa
• Thailand
• The United Arab Emirates
• The UK

“Car makers have to get the balance right”, Synovate Motoresearch vice president, Tim Englehart, stressed. “A car can still be very cool while offering practicality and a lower price.

“Success in the auto business comes from understanding people well enough to meet their emotional needs as well as practical ones.”

Honda Insight image copyright of Honda UK