Table of Contents
Introduction and Abbreviations
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- Definitions
- Consumer research
- ACORN
- Advertising data
- Abbreviations
Premier Insight
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- Driver fatigue sets in among third agers
- Focusing on freedom and independence
- In-car accessories need to be tightly focused
- Car of my dreams is the car of my needs
Executive Summary
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- Setting the parameters
- A market at a crossroads
- Growth in UK car parc hints at car dependency
- UK new car registrations lacklustre in 2005 to date
- Demand for new cars spawns a £35 billion UK car market
- Heavyweight adspend support a key strategy
- Shift to multiple ownership well established
- A residual gender gap
- Car ownership exhibits regional peaks and troughs
- Status versus materialism as motivations in car ownership
- Is small beautiful?
- Driving is a chore – for some
- Fun and exciting
- Men more up for buying car in next year
- Future purchasing intentions
- Attaining the dream car
- Reliability the most sought-after attribute
- Future trends
Market Factors
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- Introduction
- PDI and consumer expenditure – the key variables
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- Figure 1: PDI and consumer expenditure, at constant 2000 prices, 2000-10
- £1 trillion+ personal debt mountain dents consumer confidence
- Competition in the family saloon and MPV segments to intensify
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- Figure 2: Trends and projections in total UK population, by age group, 2000-10
- AB shift unleashes spend on top-range marques
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- Figure 3: Trends and projections in the total GB population, by socio-economic group, 2000-10
- Growth in one-person households a favourable trend
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- Figure 4: UK households and one-person households, 2000-10
- Employment patterns influence car ownership
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- Figure 5: UK workforce in employment, by gender, 2000-09
- Trends in number of driving licence holders
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- Figure 6: Full driving licence holders, by age and gender, 1985/96-1999/2001
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- Figure 7: Practical driving test pass rate, 1994-2003/04
- Seasonality
- Rising cost of motoring
- Taxation and the motorist
- Fuel duties the main tax burden on the motorist
- VAT & vehicle licensing tax
- Income tax and National Insurance contributions
- Environmental issues a key plank of government transport policy
- Pricing issues
- Currency movements
- Direct costs
- ‘Anti-4x4 fever’
- Hybrids PC in the US market
- The state of play with MG Rover Group
- The blow of administration
- ‘Reports of my death have been exaggerated’ – gearing up for Rover’s return
- New green car labels in pilot scheme in run-up to September 2005 rollout
- Block Exemption – all roads lead to change
- The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive
- Heavyweight adspend support a key strategy
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- Figure 8: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on cars, 1999-2005
Functional- Versus Status-oriented
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- Introduction
- Function versus materialism in car purchasing
- Role of status and materialism
- Sociological and socio-psychological perspectives
- Functionality vs image
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- Figure 9: Response to lifestyle statements ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’ and ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, 1993-2005
- Findings reflect car dependency
- An extension of self?
- Getting from A to B – demographic analysis
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- Figure 10: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, 2005
- Similar response between men and women
- 15-34-year-olds perceive cars in aspirational rather than functional terms
- Car dependency apparent among ABs
- Rational/functional perspective among older consumers
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- Figure 11: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by lifestage, presence of children and Mintel’s Special Groups, 2005
- Ownership imbued with aspects beyond mere function
- Attitudes transcend regional foibles
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- Figure 12: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by region, 2005
- Conspicuous or symbolic consumption among singles
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- Figure 13: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by marital status, working status and household size, 2005
- Correlation between higher income and conspicuous consumption
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- Figure 14: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by media usage and summary family income, 2005
- Establishing opinions of the functional-oriented
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- Figure 15: Cross-analysis of response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘My car is only there to get me from A to B’, by response to luxury/status/national sentiments, 2005
- Judging a person by the car they drive – demographic analysis
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- Figure 16: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, 2005
- Subtle messages needed for third age audience
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- Figure 17: Response to statement affirming ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by lifestage, presence of children and Mintel’s Special Groups, 2005
- Keen awareness of the social divisions in London?
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- Figure 18: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by region, 2005
- Self- and peer-aware single adults
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- Figure 19: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by marital status, working status and household size, 2005
- Scope for Internet and viral marketing campaigns
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- Figure 20: Response to TGI lifestyle statement ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by media usage and summary family income, 2005
- Establishing opinions of the status-oriented
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- Figure 21: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘You can judge a person by the car they drive’, by response to luxury/status/national statements, 2005
- Conspicuous consumption behaviour goes very deep
- TGI statements on attitudes towards cars
- Getting behind the wheel
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- Figure 22: Response to statement affirming ‘I enjoy driving’, 2001-05
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- Figure 23: Response to statement affirming ‘I love a fast, punchy style of driving’, 2001-05
- Keeping up appearances
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- Figure 24: Response to statement affirming ‘It is essential that a car looks good too’, 2001-05
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- Figure 25: Response to statement affirming ‘I like cars with original design’, 2001-05
- Car dependency
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- Figure 26: Response to statement affirming ‘If I could, I would gladly do without the car’, 2001-05
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- Figure 27: Response to statement affirming ‘The car is essential for me to make the most of my leisure time’, 2001-05
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- Figure 28: Response to statement affirming ‘Whenever I can choose between car and train, I choose the train’, 2001-05
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- Figure 29: Response to statement affirming ‘I’m not interested in the car and have as little to do with it as possible’, 2001-05
- Getting under the bonnet
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- Figure 30: Response to statement affirming ‘I’m interested in the car’s mechanics’, 2001-05
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- Figure 31: Response to statement affirming ‘I do small repair jobs on my car’, 2001-05
- Driving and work
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- Figure 32: Response to statement affirming ‘I use my car to go to work’, 2001-05
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- Figure 33: Response to statement affirming ‘I use my car to do my job’, 2001-05
- Taking ownership
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- Figure 34: Response to statement affirming ‘I’m possessive about my car’, 2001-05
- An extension of home?
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- Figure 35: Response to statement affirming ‘For me my car is like a second home’, 2001-05
- An expression of driver’s personality
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- Figure 36: Response to statement affirming ‘A car must express its driver’s personality’, 2001-05
- Keeping it clean
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- Figure 37: Response to statement affirming ‘I wash my car myself’, 2001-05
- Response to TGI Lifestyle statements on cars
- Over-conspicuous consumption?
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- Figure 38: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘My car should catch people’s attention’, 2001-05
- An expression of own personality
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- Figure 39: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘My car should express my personality’, 2001-05
- Standing out from the crowd
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- Figure 40: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘I like a car that stands out’, 2001-05
- Choosing a car on its looks
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- Figure 41: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘I would choose a car mainly on the basis of its looks’, 2001-05
- Safety first
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- Figure 42: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘My car should be equipped with all possible safety features’, 2001-05
- Importance of comfort
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- Figure 43: Response to TGI lifestyle statement affirming ‘Comfort is the most important thing in a car’, 2001-05
Consumer Attitudes Towards Cars
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- Introduction
- ‘Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’
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- Figure 44: Response to statement affirming ‘Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’, February 2005
- Opportunity to woo unconvinced women
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- Figure 45: Response to statement ‘Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Superminis achieve success among ABC1 pre-/no family group
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- Figure 46: Response to statement ‘Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Scope for green car labelling initiatives in Scotland
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- Figure 47: Response to statement ‘Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Broadsheet and mid-market tabloids ideal for small car advertising
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- Figure 48: Response to statement ’Small is beautiful when it comes to cars’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- ‘A car is just to get me around’
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- Figure 49: Response to statement affirming ‘A car is just to get me around’, February 2005
- Women tend to see the functional side of cars
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- Figure 50: Response to statement ‘A car is just to get me around’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Harness and nurturing latent tendencies among ABC1 third agers
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- Figure 51: Response to statement ‘A car is just to get me around’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
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- Figure 52: Response to statement ‘A car is just to get me around’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
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- Figure 53: Response to statement ‘A car is just to get me around’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’
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- Figure 54: Response to statement affirming ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’, February 2005
- A source of prestige in early adulthood
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- Figure 55: Response to statement ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Younger adults judge a person by the car they drive
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- Figure 56: Response to statement ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Keeping up with the Joneses in the suburbs
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- Figure 57: Response to statement ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- TV sells image
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- Figure 58: Response to statement ‘You can tell a lot about a person by the car they drive’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- ‘Driving is a chore’
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- Figure 59: Response to statement affirming ‘Driving is a chore’, February 2005
- Ride quality key to young drivers
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- Figure 60: Response to statement ‘Driving is a chore’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Driving tedium in around the middle years
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- Figure 61: Response to statement ‘Driving is a chore’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Driving enjoyment in Scotland
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- Figure 62: Response to statement ‘Driving is a chore’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Broadsheet readers apparently reluctant to drive
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- Figure 63: Response to statement ‘Driving is a chore’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- ‘Driving is fun and exciting’
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- Figure 64: Response to statement affirming ‘Driving is fun and exciting’, February 2005
- Women still differ from men in attitudes towards driving
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- Figure 65: Response to statement ‘Driving is fun and exciting’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Cavalier attitude towards life among the young
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- Figure 66: Response to statement ‘Driving is fun and exciting’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Urban Prosperity drivers a key target for performance, luxury cars
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- Figure 67: Response to statement ‘Driving is fun and exciting’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Telly fanatics find driving fun and exciting
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- Figure 68: Response to statement ‘Driving is fun and exciting’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
Car Ownership and Sales Trends
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- Introduction
- Car ownership trends
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- Figure 69: Trends in GB car ownership, 1995-2004
- Still a discretionary item
- Car ownership – full demographic analysis
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- Figure 70: Car ownership, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, presence of children and Mintel’s Special Groups, 2004
- Importance of family groups evident
- Population density a key criterion
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- Figure 71: Car ownership, by region, marital status, working status, household size, media/communication usage and family income, 2004
- Market Size and Trends
- UK car production
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- Figure 72: Trends in UK car production, 1995-2004
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- Figure 73: UK car production, by destination source, 2000-04
- Trends in the UK car parc
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- Figure 74: Trends in the UK car parc, by volume, 1995-2004
- UK new car registrations
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- Figure 75: Trends in UK new car registrations, by volume, 1995-2006
- Upbeat sales at the top end
- Market may come under pressure
- Market values
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- Figure 76: UK new car market size, 2000-05
- Market segmentation
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- Figure 77: UK new car registrations, by segment, 2000-04
- Used car sales suffering from oversupply
- Dramatic shift towards diesel
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- Figure 78: UK new car registrations, by fuel type, 2000-04
- Diesel skewed towards company car drivers
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- Figure 79: UK diesel sales, by private versus non-private registrations, 2000-04
- Figure 80: UK new car registrations, by fuel type, 2000-04
- Focus on top ten models
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- Figure 81: Top ten registered models, by volume, 2004
Purchasing Intentions
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- Introduction
- Intention to buy in next 12 months
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- Figure 82: Adults intending to buy a car in the next 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, household size, media usage and family income, 2004
- Men more up for buying car in next year
- Age and lifestage key variables
- Keeping it in the family
- Regional peaks and troughs
- Employment status and purchasing intentions
- Household size matters
- Internet marketing earns its crust
- Income drives purchasing intentions
- Type of car likely to buy
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- Figure 83: Type of car that adults aged 15+ intend to buy in the next 12 months, 2004
- Spoilt for choice
- Likely purchase – demographics
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- Figure 84: Type of car that adults aged 15+ intend to buy in the next 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, household size, media usage and family income, 2004
- Men in the driving seat when it comes to cars
- Age crucial to purchasing intentions
- Targeting socio-economic groups
- Lifestage/presence of children
- Regional foibles in purchasing intentions
- Money matters
- New versus second-hand
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- Figure 85: Type of car that adults aged 15+ intend to buy in the next 12 months – new versus second-hand car, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, household size, media usage and family income, 2004
- Intended purchase – first car, additional car or replacement car
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- Figure 86: Adults aged 15+ who intend to buy a first, additional or replacement car in the next 12 months, 2004
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- Figure 87: Adults aged 15+ who intend to buy a first or replacement car in the next 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, household size, media usage and family income, 2004
- Assessing loyalty to car type
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- Figure 88: Netted results for car respondent currently owns versus car respondent is most likely to buy next, February 2005
- Men and women diverge on key aspects of car ownership
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- Figure 89: Netted results of cars most likely to buy next, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Retired drivers think small
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- Figure 90: Netted results for type of car respondent is most likely to buy next, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups and presence of children, February 2005
- Small cars in the North West
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- Figure 91: Netted results for type of car respondent is most likely to buy next, by region, working status and marital status, February 2005
- Effective advertising channel for mini/supermini sector
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- Figure 92: Netted results for type of car respondent is most likely to buy next, by ACORN category, media usage, commercial TV viewing habits and supermarkets used, February 2005
Aspirations (Dream Car)
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- Introduction
- ‘My dream car is out of my league’
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- Figure 93: Response to statement affirming ‘My dream car is out of my league’, February 2005
- More of a pipe dream than an attainable goal
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- Figure 94: Response to statement affirming ‘My dream car is out of my league’, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- ABC1 third age group important target audience for prestige cars
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- Figure 95: Response to statement affirming ‘My dream car is out of my league’, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- The heartland of conspicuous consumption
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- Figure 96: Response to statement affirming ‘My dream car is out of my league’, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Broadsheets a key medium for prestige cars
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- Figure 97: Response to statement affirming ‘My dream car is out of my league’, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- Most popular associations of ‘dream car’
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- Figure 98: Respondent’s description of their ‘dream car’, February 2005
- Under-35s aspire to sports cars/convertibles
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- Figure 99: Most popular descriptions of dream car, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- Reliability top of mind for the retired
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- Figure 100: Most popular descriptions of dream car, by lifestage, Mintel’s Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Setting the highest heights in the North West
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- Figure 101: Most popular descriptions of dream car, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Internet viral marketing campaigns boost sports car/convertible sector
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- Figure 102: Most popular descriptions of dream car, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- Pecking order in two-car households evident
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- Figure 103: Other popular descriptions of dream car, by gender, age and socio-economic group, February 2005
- The youngest desire super-luxury
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- Figure 104: Other popular descriptions of dream car, by lifestage, Mintel's Special Groups, presence of children and working status, February 2005
- Classic cars for Urban Prosperity drivers
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- Figure 105: Other popular descriptions of dream car, by region and ACORN category, February 2005
- Specific connotations of taste
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- Figure 106: Other popular descriptions of dream car, by media usage, weight of commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, February 2005
- Cross-analysis
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- Figure 107: Cross-analysis of popular descriptions of a respondent’s ‘dream car’, by netted results for type of car respondent intends to buy next (row %), February 2005
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- Figure 108: Cross-analysis of popular descriptions of a respondent’s ‘dream car’, by netted results for type of car respondent intends to buy next (column %), February 2005
Conclusions
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- Mars versus Venus
- Age and the law of diminishing returns
- Regional foibles?
- Is car dependency taking hold in Britain?
The Future
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- Degree of diversity
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- Figure 109: Netted results of cars most likely to buy next, February 2005
- Registrations facing harsh reality check
- Prevailing demographic trends
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- Figure 110: Shifts in total UK population, by age group, 2000-10 and 2005-10
- Hybrids set to be ‘Next Big Thing’ in UK market
- Pay as you drive charging far off, but inevitable
- Diesel penetration likely to peak in 2005
- Block Exemption – all roads lead to concentration in supply?
- Further growth in the UK car parc – you bet
- Viral and interactive marketing set to make greater inroads
Forecast
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- Sales subject to consumer confidence
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- Figure 111: Forecast of UK new car market, 2005-10
- Factors incorporated
- Purchasing intentions: A population-based forecast
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- Figure 112: Population forecast of purchasing intention groups, 2005-10
- Attributing growth rates
- Analysing intentions and aspirations
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- Figure 113: Type of car that adults intend to buy in the next 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group and lifestage, 2004
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