Survey Shares Consumer Attitudes About Hybrid Vehicles

A new survey by Synovate says that US consumers are doing their research on hybrid and other alternative vehicles. According to the survey, consumers are most familiar with turbo gasoline direct injection, direct injection diesel and hybrid electric vehicles. Synovate vice president Tim Englehart indicates that consumers are now torn between buying the cars they want and the ones that make the most economic sense.

Despite consumer desire to adopt these new alternative propulsion technologies, they are still looking for the lowest possible price on new vehicles. The results of the survey show that fuel economy has not penetrated the top ten reasons for buying a new car. The survey shows that consumers are still more interested in safety, reliability and value than in the long-term fuel economy of a vehicle.

More consumers are considering the purchase of a hybrid electric vehicle than ever before, and those who are concerned with the environment and high fuel prices are more likely to consider a hybrid vehicle purchase. However, concerns about battery cost, life and performance were identified as the reasons respondents were less inclined to consider the purchase of an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle. When respondents were allowed to read about the pros and cons of each type of alternative propulsion vehicle, consumer attitudes shifted in favor of plug-in electric vehicles and away from traditional gasoline powered ones.

The survey results also showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents will look for a vehicle that provides better gas mileage the next time they purchase a new car. They also expressed a willingness to pay as much as $1,500 more for a vehicle that achieved 30% better gas mileage than a comparable conventional model, and would pay as much as $2,000 more for a vehicle that was better for the environment.

Source: Synovate