BIGresearch July Survey: Toyota, Audi, BMW, Ford
and Hyundai Top Brands Car Buyers are Considering

Cash for Clunkers Buyers Looking at Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford

COLUMBUS, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) – 8/5/09 – Ford is definitely on the upswing versus a year ago according to the July BIGresearch Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey of over 8,300 participants. Of consumers who say they plan on buying a new vehicle in the next six months, Ford’s Auto Buyer Index* (ABI) places it in the top five category. This is a marked improvement over July ’08 when the automaker was in the negative.

Top 5 Automakers - Auto Buyer Index*

          July 09    July 08 
Toyota    +1.87      +4.21               
Audi      +1.81      -1.45                
BMW       ₊1.66      +3.16                                                   
Ford      +1.55      -4.64
Hyundai   +1.26      -0.96                                                    

Source: BIGresearch CIA-Jul 09 & Jul 08

*Auto Buyer Index is calculated by subtracting the average percentage of those planning to buy a new vehicle in the next six months considering a brand 1st choice or 2nd choice from the current percentage of ownership of the same brand. A positive number indicates that purchase intentions exceed current ownership. A negative number indicates current ownership exceeds purchase intentions.

For additional complimentary data and charts: http://info.bigresearch.com

As Congress takes up the issue of continuing “Cash for Clunkers,” consumer interest in the program is apparent. 8.8% of adults 18+ said the program would motivate them to purchase a new vehicle and 45.5% of all consumers who said they plan to buy a new auto in the next six months said the program is a key motivator.

Ford looks to be a main beneficiary of “Cash for Clunkers” as more people (17.4%) who are motivated to buy a car due to the program are considering a Ford vehicle.

Make of Vehicle Considering TOP 5 (1^st Choice)

Motivated by “Cash     Adults 18+ Planning to
for Clunkers”&         Buy a New Vehicle
Planning to Buy        (Excludes “Clunker” Buyers)
Ford (17.4%)           Toyota  (13.5%)
Toyota (17.1%)         Chevrolet (12.9%)
Chevrolet (11.1%)      Ford (12.9%)
Audi (5.8%)            Hyundai (5.6%)
Hyundai (5.8%)         Honda (5.5%) 

Source: BIGresearch CIA-Jul 09

Those motivated by “Cash for Clunkers” tend to be oriented towards more fuel efficient and cost effective vehicles favoring cars and hybrids at much higher rate than those motivated by the program. The “clunker” buyers are also planning on spending less per car than other car buyers.

Type of Vehicle Considering (1^st Choice)

              Motivated by “Cash    Adults 18+       
              for Clunkers”&        Planning to
              Planning to Buy       Buy a New Vehicle
Car           70.9%                 63.7%
Truck         11.4%                 12.2%
Mini-Van      4.4%                  3.8%
SUV           17.3%                 20.9%
Cross-Over    16.2%                 13.2%
Hybrid        19.1%                 12.6%
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AVG Price     $23,666               $26,345

Source: BIGresearch CIA-Jul 09

About BIGresearch
BIGresearch is a consumer intelligence firm providing analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive and media. BIGresearch conducts the monthly Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) of 8,000+ respondents and the semi-annual Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM) of 15,000+ respondents. More information is available at http://www.bigresearch.com

Contact:
Chrissy Wissinger
BIGresearch
(614) 846-0146
chrissy@bigresearch.com