A third of new cars bought online in five years

12/11/2001

new car sales will jump from 13 percent of total new car sales this year to 32 percent in 2006.

‘Internet-generated’ sales include consumers who find a dealership with the automobile they want online and make the purchase offline, as well as Web-based referrals to dealers, Jupiter Media Metrix said.

The Jupiter survey of 2,194 individuals found 42 percent of visitors to car-related Web sites were most interested in detailed product information.

The second-most popular response was side-by-side comparisons (cited by 23 percent), followed by ratings and reviews from other consumers (9 percent).

The survey found only 4 percent of used car sales in 2001 are Internet-generated and Jupiter projects this will rise to 12 percent five years from now.

In 2006, the number of consumers who use the Internet to find financing for their automobiles will increase, but the Web will account for just 4 percent of the total car financing market, the study said.

Currently, less than 1 percent of new car buyers and one-half of 1 percent of used car purchasers use online financing. Ask said online financing is underused for two reasons.

For more information on Internet marketing visit Online Marketing
Source of Article: NUA Internet Surveys

Date of Article: December 11, 2001