Shoppers Still Researching GM, Chrysler Cars
In an interesting twist, we’ve seen consumer interest in Chrysler and GM cars hold steady over the past year on our parent site, Cars.com, even though both automakers have been shedding sales and talking bankruptcy for more than six months.
As of April, searches for new and used GM cars on Cars.com were up more than 5 percent year over year, and they've continued that trend throughout May. Beyond just consumer searches, more Cars.com users have contacted GM dealers asking about a car or truck this year than did last year.
For Chrysler, it’s much the same story. Search activity and dealer contacts were steady through April, and in May the number of consumers contacting Chrysler dealers has been on the rise.
Of course, some of this could be attributed to consumers out looking to take advantage of hefty rebates, but the trend has been relatively steady for the past year. The possibility of bankruptcy has been in front of consumers for quite some time, and it appears that it hasn't deterred shoppers from considering these cars as they return to the market.
On top of that, a recent Cars.com survey found that 59% of consumers said the current economy and struggles of American car manufacturers would have no impact on whether their next car purchase will be an American car.
The fact that consumer interest on Cars.com has remained steady for GM and Chrysler should be good news for both troubled automakers, especially as they look to emerge from bankruptcy.
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It would probably be interesting to see if you now get a pickup in searches for Ford.
Will people who prefer to buy an American brand, jump to Ford over Government Motors? I know that Ford is counting on that, so it would be interesting of a disinterested party, like Cars.com, looked at it.
Good idea max.
I think consumers are looking for great deals on GM and Chrysler vehicles, and having government back guarantees is helping appease fears of having a vehicle that's unserviceable.
Happymantis ,
Basically, what you said is, American people are looking for socialism.
The deals being offered now are no better than what was offered a few months ago. By now most people understand these companies aren't going away so I dont think it should be surprising that folks continue to research their vehicles. Unlike Chrysler, GM astually has three new products coming out within two months so I would expect there to be a lot of interest in GM vehicles this summer.