Fuel-efficient cars making some headway in AutoTrader searches

(March 10, 2011) ATLANTA (PRNewswire) — Where is the tipping point in gas prices where consumers shift their interest to more fuel efficient cars?  That's the question analysts at AutoTrader.com have been focusing on as they analyze traffic and data on the site. 

According to the February Trend Engine Report, which provides monthly insights into auto shopping behavior, consumers haven't reached that tipping point yet, but they may be close based on information gleaned from the site at the tail end of February. Trucks and SUVs continued to hold the majority of shopper's interest across New, Used, and Certified Pre-Owned vehicles during the past month. 

The number of family cars and sedans on the list of most-searched new cars has actually decreased; in January, these cars captured nine out of 20 spots on the list, with only four out of 20 in February. Three of the four family cars are newcomers to the list this month, and all get more than 25 mpg combined, which could indicate a slight leaning toward fuel efficient cars.

Ford F-150 most-researched
vehicle on AutoTrader.com


Additionally, a recent survey of users of AutoTrader.com showed that 53 percent of shoppers on the site would consider a car with more fuel economy than the one they currently drive, so more activity in fuel-efficient car shopping may show itself on AutoTrader.com in March or April if gas prices continue to rise.

"We're starting to see a little bit of movement on the list of most-searched new cars toward fuel efficiency, but not really enough to say that gas prices had a dramatic effect on consumer shopping behavior in February," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. 

"In fact, the addition of some heavy-duty trucks shows that consumers have a higher-than-expected threshold for gas prices and are still following their hearts with the love of larger vehicles.  Similarly, the lists of most-searched used and CPO cars haven't actually changed much in the last few months.  If gas prices continue to rise, we'll be on the lookout for new trends, and as our survey during February showed, many consumers are now starting to think about more fuel-efficient vehicles."

In February, th
e total number of trucks and SUVs that made the list of the most-searched new cars actually increased month-over-month, going from nine out of 20 in January to 11 out of 20 in February. 

The new Ford F-150 held on to its No. 1 position month-over-month and year-over-year.  Three heavy-duty trucks made big leaps into the top 20 from the month prior, with the new Ford F-250 leaping nine places to land at No. 12 in February; the new Dodge Ram 2500 moving up 13 places to No. 17; and the new Chevrolet Silverado jumping eight places to land at No. 19. 

 
Chevrolt Cruze and Hyundai Elantra move up on "most searched" vehicles list

Even with all the movement regarding trucks and SUVs, there were four fuel-efficient newcomers to the list of most-searched new vehicles in February, with three family cars and one fuel-efficient SUV.  The new Chevrolet Cruze jumped 25 places, going from No. 39 in January to No. 14 in February; the new Kia Optima leapt 42 places, going from No. 58 in January to No. 16 in February; and the new Hyundai Elantra moved up 29 spots, going from No. 47 in January to No. 18 in February. 

Although classified as an SUV, the fuel-efficient new Chevrolet Equinox zoomed up 19 spots, going from No. 34 in January to No. 15 in February.

The story for pre-owned vehicles didn't change much between January and February, despite the rising gas prices. Trucks and SUVs still make up 11 out of the top 20 spots on both the most-searched used car list and the most-search CPO car list.  The only difference noted between the lists month-over-month is that the most-searched used car list in January had 12 trucks and SUVS, but the used Toyota Tacoma was edged out by the used Volkswagen Jetta in February. 

Ford again achieved the honor of being the No. 1 most-searched brand on AutoTrader.com for both new and used vehicles, with Chevrolet holding on to the No. 2 spot.  While Ford attracted the most searches overall, Chevrolet did see five new vehicles in the top 20 in February that were not on the list in January. This could certainly be a reflection of the phenomenal sales month Chevrolet experienced in February.

"Although AutoTrader.com doesn't get involved in the actual transaction, there's definitely a correlation between searches on our site and sales on the showroom floors," Perry noted. "Study after study has confirmed that the Internet is the most-used research tool for auto shoppers, and those shoppers devote the majority of their online research time looking at and comparing cars on third-party sites like AutoTrader.com."