Trending Now: Sedans, SUVs, Crossovers Most Popular with Internet Consumers; Jumpstart Automotive Group Highlights Online Car Shopping Data

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jumpstart Automotive Group released highlights of its Online Car Shopping Trends Report today, on the heels of August’s highest three-year U.S. car sales month since the “Cash for Clunkers” rebate program stimulated sales in August 2009.

“Interest in alternative fuel vehicles has dropped one percent since December, but at a minimum, that one-point loss should be recaptured in natural growth as a number of new models are slated to be introduced to the segment.”

The company, a division of Hearst Magazines, provides innovative marketing solutions for automotive advertisers based on the reach and performance of its automotive publisher partners. Jumpstart’s Strategic Insights department – responsible for analyzing the behaviors of roughly 19 million monthly unique users across 14 automotive websites – highlighted key data:

For more automotive data and reports, visit www.jumpstartautomotivegroup.com/insights.

Recent Online Car Shopping Trends

• Sedans, SUVs and Crossovers are the most popular vehicle segments across Jumpstart’s network of sites, capturing approximately 36 percent, 19 percent and 11 percent share of shoppers respectively

Rank	Segment	YTD 2012
1	Sedan	36%
2	SUV	19%
3	Crossover	11%
4	Sports Car/Convertible	10%
5	Compact Car/Coupe	7%

• Ford dominates brand interest among online shoppers at 14.8 percent – the largest ever attained across Jumpstart’s audience – followed by Chevy at 9.9 percent and Toyota at 9.8 percent

Vehicle Brands	CY 2011	YTD 2012	% Variance	Share-Point Variance
Ford	14.1%	14.8%	5%	0.66%
Chevrolet	10.7%	9.9%	-7%	-0.78%
Toyota	10.3%	9.8%	-4%	-0.46%
Honda	8.6%	7.8%	-9%	-0.76%
Nissan	5.7%	6.4%	13%	0.75%

• The three most popularly researched models among Jumpstart shoppers are the Ford Mustang, the Honda Accord and the Ford Focus, at 3.1 percent, 2.5 percent and 1.7 percent share of shoppers respectively

Rank	Make	Model	CY 2011	YTD 2012
1	Ford	Mustang	2.59%	3.06%
2	Honda	Accord	1.92%	2.46%
3	Ford	Focus	1.71%	1.68%
4	Honda	Civic	1.68%	1.68%
5	Ford	Escape	1.61%	1.64%

Future Insights: 2012 Online Automotive

Libby Murad-Patel, Senior Director of Strategic Insights at Jumpstart, outlined her perceptions of future trends among online shoppers and the sales and marketing initiatives making the biggest impact with Jumpstart shoppers:

• "At a 10 percent increase in share of shoppers since the end of 2011, look for the variance between Ford Edge and Chevy Equinox to diminish significantly this year as both automakers battle for the coveted top Crossover spot."
• “Interest in alternative fuel vehicles has dropped one percent since December, but at a minimum, that one-point loss should be recaptured in natural growth as a number of new models are slated to be introduced to the segment.”
• “Chevy Corvette is a new addition to the top ten most popularly researched models across Jumpstart’s sites. This reconfirms data published in our 2011 Year End Review Report and supports our prediction of continued growth in aspiration vehicle interest throughout this year and into 2013.”
• “Nissan Altima is another new addition to Jumpstart’s top ten most popularly researched models list. The gap between Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry should continue to shrink this year, as Nissan continues to forge deeper online shopping inroads with its robust digital marketing initiatives.”

For more automotive data and reports visit Jumpstart Strategic Insights at (www.jumpstartautomotivegroup.com/insights).

About Jumpstart Automotive Group

Jumpstart Automotive Group, a Hearst Media Services company and a division of Hearst Magazine, brings innovative digital marketing solutions to automotive advertisers by empowering the performance and reach of automotive publisher partners. Jumpstart’s unavoidable audiences span online and mobile platforms to generate awareness, shift perceptions and drive consideration for automotive advertisers with intelligent analytics and strategic product innovation. For more information, visit JumpstartAuto.com. Follow Jumpstart on Twitter @JumpstartAuto (http://twitter.com/#!/JumpstartAuto).