Hybrid Cars: Awareness and Purchase Consideration are High - No Visibility for U.S. Brands

Perceptions are Positive on Fuel Efficiency and Smooth Riding - But Mixed about Performance and Luxury

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 -- Although awareness of hybrid electric vehicles is high, research conducted by WIRED finds perceptions that could be hurdles to the sale of gas/electric hybrids. Consumers polled in the magazine's Pulse research feel that conventional vehicles are superior in price (68 percent), driving performance (65 percent) and luxuriousness (51 percent). In addition, conventional vehicles topped hybrids for style and being fun to drive.

Hybrid electric vehicles, which combine the internal combustion engine of a conventional vehicle with the battery and electric motor of an electric vehicle to produce high fuel economy, receive high marks for awareness and purchase consideration in the consumer survey. Ninety-nine percent of respondents who participated in the magazine's Pulse research are aware of hybrids and 94 percent indicate that they would consider purchasing a hybrid.

The majority of those polled are sold on hybrid vehicles and rate them superior to conventional vehicles in terms of environmental friendliness (93 percent), fuel efficiency (93 percent), miles per gallon (91 percent) and quietness/smoothness (66 percent). Consumers do, however, consider hybrids equal to conventional vehicles in value, reliability, safety, comfort and features/amenities.

"These data indicate that perhaps hybrids don't have as high a mountain to climb in these areas as the industry thinks," suggests WIRED Publisher Drew Schutte. "The Pulse findings give auto manufacturers a rare glimpse into what the most influential consumers in the U.S. are thinking about hybrid technology and can tailor their future manufacturing and marketing efforts accordingly."

When asked from which manufacturers they would consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle, respondents rank Honda (68 percent), Toyota (62 percent) and Volkswagen (43 percent) the highest.

Methodology

The WIRED Pulse is a reader panel that consists of over 8,000 WIRED subscribers who have been screened for over 20 demographic and behavioral target segments. WIRED Pulse members are leaders across all fields, including technology, finance, manufacturing, design, entertainment and media and have opted in to participate in research activities.

Socratic Technologies, a Chicago-based market research firm specializing in Web-based research, manages the WIRED Pulse. All poll data are linked to a secured, non-published survey site located on Socratic's servers.

The Pulse poll that focused on hybrid vehicles was fielded between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, 2003. A total of 2,897 panel members were invited to take part in the survey. It achieved a 26 percent response rate with 756 respondents completing the survey.