LONDON:
THE MARKET research firm Harris Interactive recently conducted a new survey to understand the values that adult consumers from Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain associate with 21 major automobile brands ahead of the firm's attendance at the 61st International Motor Show (IAA) Cars in Frankfurt, Germany.
Key findings from the study show that in the five European markets surveyed overall,
consumers regard Mercedes-Benz (#1), BMW (#2) and
Audi (#3) as the top three car manufacturers in terms of overall brand quality. Fourth on the list is Volvo, the only non-German brand to make it into the top
five on the overall list, while Volkswagen takes the fifth
spot overall.
Only two of the European markets surveyed have Japanese brands in their top five lists for overall brand quality (Lexus #3 in the United Kingdom and Toyota #5 in Italy).
Prestigious German cars, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, are on the overall top five lists for brands that convey the values of success and financial security; however, they do not make the lists for brands that convey the values of family, freedom or sociability.
SURVEY SAYS ...
Of European adults surveyed, 33 per cent believe Alfa Romeo conveys a sense of freedom to consumers. After Alfa Romeo, it is mainly the Far Eastern brands, including Honda (27 per cent), Mazda (26 per cent), Toyota
(24 per cent), Hyundai (20 per cent), which signify freedom
to consumers.
Some mass market manufacturers (Ford, Opel/Vauxhall, Renault and Skoda) convey family values to Europeans surveyed overall, while others, particularly Fiat, Hyundai, Citroën and Peugeot, imply sociability, but for many, they do not convey financial security or success.
Consumers are more likely to associate family values with cars manufactured or badged in their own countries. So, in Italy, Fiat conveys the strongest family values; in France, Peugeot, Renault and Citroën; in Germany, Volkswagen comes in third on the list after Ford and Vauxhall/Opel, and likewise, Rover in the United Kingdom.
"The ability to tap into the perceptions and values held by car buyers, and indeed, customers of any product or service, is a critical factor in understanding what drives human decision-making," comments George Terhanian, president of European operations and global Internet research, Harris Interactive. Terhanian continues, "Our ability to
quickly and efficiently interview large numbers of Europeans, all members of our multimillion- member panel of consumers, makes it much easier for us to generate the kind of evidence
we need to inform and guide
the development of our clients' marketing and communications strategies."
Sources: PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, and Harris Interactive.
