It's What"s Inside That Counts!
19 February 1998
New Study Examines Car-Buying Preferences, Says Vehicle Interiors Strongly Affect Purchase Decisions
Results reinforce key strategy of Johnson Controls
to enhance interior features, functions and performance
PLYMOUTH, Mich., Feb. 18 -- What's inside the "ride" -- the
vehicle interior -- strongly influences the purchase decisions of those who
buy new cars. That's one of the major findings in the latest consumer study of
car-buyers' preferences.
In the research -- recently completed by Wirthlin Worldwide of Grand
Rapids, Michigan -- more than 60 percent of the new vehicle buyers polled said
an unsatisfactory interior in a vehicle would discourage them from buying it.
The study was sponsored by Johnson Controls, the world's leading supplier
of automotive seating and interior systems. Participating in the survey were
505 primary drivers of 1997 model-year vehicles, which included cars and light
trucks.
"This study, and other recent research, confirms one of our most basic
business premises -- that car-buyers are becoming more discriminating about
the performance, features, and quality of vehicle interiors," said Beth
Pincura, director of worldwide marketing research at Johnson Controls.
"In fact, interiors are emerging as a key selling asset for vehicles, as well
as an important market 'differentiator.'"
Pincura says the increased consumer focus on interiors makes sense, since
people are spending more time than ever before in their vehicles. "There is
significant data on commuter and leisure travel that reflect increasing
vehicular use," she said.
This trend was demonstrated in the results of one of the most
comprehensive studies ever conducted of Americans' travel habits, and released
by the U.S. Department of Transportation this past November. The American
Travel Survey found that:
* More than 80 percent of all long trips (of 100 miles or more) in the
United States are taken in motor vehicles.
* Even for trips of up to 2,000 miles -- cars, truck or vans are the
preferred choice of travel.
* Americans take 1 billion long-distance trips each year, twice as many
as they took 20 years ago.
Given this dramatic increase in "road time" among American families, what
interior features and characteristics are most important to car-buyers?
The Wirthlin study found that many of those polled (25 percent) rated the
instrument panel as the most important interior feature, followed by seats in
general (24 percent); stereo/cassette/CD (23 percent); ergonomic design (22
percent); appearance (19 percent); comfort/general roominess (15 percent);
front seats (12 percent); air conditioning (8 percent); storage
compartments/console (7 percent); visors/sun protection (4 percent); and rear
seats (3 percent).
Respondents in the Wirthlin study acknowledged the importance of
interiors. But -- as one might expect -- the biggest factors overall that were
found to influence car-buying decisions were dependability, brand
name/reputation and price.
"The results of both studies are compelling and reinforce our business
and product direction," said Pincura. "Johnson Controls is fully committed to
maintaining our industry leadership, as we strive to add new functions,
features, value and enhanced performance in vehicle interiors."
Johnson Controls, Inc., with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a
global market leader in automotive systems and building controls. Through its
Automotive System Group, it designs and produces seating and interior systems
for automakers worldwide, and batteries for the original equipment and
replacement markets. The Controls Group serves the non-residential buildings
market with controls systems and services, and integrated facility management.
Founded in 1885, Johnson Controls operates in more than 500 locations around
the world. Johnson Controls securities are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) with the trading symbol "JCI."
The Plymouth, Michigan-based Automotive Systems Group of Johnson Controls
is the world's largest supplier of vehicle seating and interior systems, and
is a major supplier of batteries. In 1997, the company's worldwide operations
supplied products for more than 20 million vehicles. The Automotive Systems
Group employs more than 45,000 people at 157 facilities worldwide and achieved
$8 billion in sales for the 1997 fiscal year. During the same period, Johnson
Controls, Inc. (all divisions) recorded sales of $11.1 billion.
CONTACT: Jeff Steiner of Johnson Controls, 734-254-5932.
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804,
ext. 473547.
Web site: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.
SOURCE Johnson Controls
