(July 6, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. (PRNewswire) — Generation Y, the 18-27 age range that represents the newest demographic of car buyers, favor car brands Scion and Mitsubishi, according to a new study by TrueCar.com. The study reviewed the purchasing behavior of more than four million car buyers from 2009 and 2010.

The Scion tC sporty coupe was the most purchased model, TrueCar reports, followed by the Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Civic Si.

"Generation Y buyers are very important to automakers because they help set trends from popularizing social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter or technologies such as the iPhone and iPod," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Trends and Analysis at TrueCar.com. "It's also important for an automaker to get a young buyer into their vehicle from the beginning in hopes of continued loyalty to the brand."

The top brands for Generation Y buyers (ages 19-27) in 2009 and 2010 were:

Digging further into the data, TrueCar.com was able to compile a list of the top models by Generation Y buyers purchased in 2009 and 2010, by percentage of buyers aged 18-27.

"Generation Y buyers want vehicles that look distinct and can be tailored to their individual tastes," said Kristen Andersson, Automotive Analyst for TrueCar.com.  "Buyers from this generation are also looking for vehicles that have the technology features they are accustomed to built into the vehicle at an affordable price."

The top models for Generation Y buyers (ages 19-27) in 2009 and 2010 and the current percentage discount from MSRP are: