Category: Auto News & Reviews

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AutoPacific Status in the Pandemic

Still Pedal to the Metal in Auto Research and Analysis
AutoPacific is up and running as usual.  Two years ago, we sold the Automotive Futures Center in Tustin and began working from our homes.  The stay at home directives have not really made our work life any different.  Our New Vehicle Satisfaction Study is in the field and we are expecting results in a few weeks.  Our person-to-person field research – product clinics and focus groups have been put on hold.  A clinic scheduled for late March was pushed back to late summer, if then.  We have been fielding online surveys, interviews and focus groups.  Working with our clients, we have developed techniques to help them determine the dynamics of the market and also ways to accomplish virtual product clinics.

Over the past decades, the American auto industry has “atomized” with more and more new car and light truck models being added to the lineups each year.  The reason for this rapid addition of nameplates – atomization – has been an attempt by auto designers and marketers to provide products targeted to much more finely defined product niches.  Consumers demand more and more focused products and today’s automotive consumer research can identify exactly what those consumers want.  Current product development techniques allow vehicles to be developed more quickly and efficiently than in the past.  So, why not develop a vehicle targeted at each well-defined buyer group?

17-million Sales Years Not Sustainable

During the ‘90s, a good year was 15 million car and light truck sales.  By early in the first decade of the 2000s, the industry was expecting 17 million units per year.  Companies began adding more and more nameplates to take advantage of these [...]

 Atomization Continues Unabated  The American car and light truck market is undergoing atomization.  There are 313 car and truck nameplates on sale today in the United States.  By 2022 – just five years in the future – there are going to be 377.  A nameplate is a vehicle name like Ford Explorer, Renge Rover Evoque or Toyota Camry.

Car to Truck Shift Permanent  Manufacturers are adding new products to more tightly appeal to customers with more diverse tastes.  Buyers have shifted to crossover sport utility vehicles (XSUVs) in droves.  Automakers are adding more XSUVs to satisfy every whim.  Trucks began outselling cars in 2001, but since 2012 when cars last had 50% of the [...]

2017 Jeep Renegade Deserthawk

Having a new Jeep Renegade Trailhawk over the long July 4th weekend, I took it to Costco for the quarterly bird seed, cat food replenishment.  At first I was wondering if the Renegade was up to the task.  Does a small crossover SUV have the capacity to take the load?

There were fourteen bags of bird seed and two of cat food.  Plus the package of 30 rolls of toilet paper.  Would they fit?  Plus, would they fit with the other stuff we bought?  Removing the tonneau cover over the cargo area and folding the rear seats were required to fit in the load.  There was room to spare.  Probably could have doubled the number of bird seed and cat food bags.

There are many surveys of vehicle owner satisfaction each year. This article compares the results from the newly released Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey with the results of AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Research
Bentley Motors of Crewe, England has begun production of the 2017 Bentley Bentayga and vehicles will begin arriving in the United States in May, 2016. Ho Hum, just another SUV for an overstuffed market, right? Not so. The Bentayga is a very, very special piece of work.

TUSTIN, Calif. (August 18, 2015) – Automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. today announced the 2015 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). AutoPacific’s IVAs recognize vehicles that best meet their owner’s expectations and desires, helping consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions with “owners talking” feedback.

The 2015 awards are based on responses from over 66,000 new vehicle owners across all major manufacturers. Surveyed after 90 days of ownership, respondents were asked what changes they would make to their car or truck in 15 key categories, including ride and handling, driver’s seat comfort, interior storage, safety features, interior lighting, power and acceleration and technology. “While no vehicle has a zero percent desire for change in all areas, IVAs recognize vehicles where owners want the least amount of change across the 15 surveyed attributes,” explains George Peterson, president of AutoPacific.inflatable water slide hire

Porsche and GMC Most Ideal Brands in 2015 – Again

Porsche ranks as the top [...]

The all-new Driver Information Display screen in the Challenger

Cruising down the scenic roads along the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon can be a real treat, especially while driving a Dodge Challenger Hellcat with its mean-sounding engine roaring through the twists and turns of this pristine wilderness road.

A few months back, Chrysler invited a few journalist to test drive the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, along with its entire Challenger lineup. The Challenger Hellcat was a blast to drive, and delivers so much power that it is almost scary to drive. And after our not-so-mellow morning cruise along the river, we were invited to test the Hellcat’s limits by driving laps around Portland International Raceway, trying hard to keep the car in a straight line. But the real fun was just driving the Hellcat around town [...]

AutoPacific's Vice President of Industry Analysis has always had an affinity for small cars with a performance personality and a load of equipment. Our recent week-long evaluation of the 2014 Kia Forte5 SX seems to fit his requirements. The Forte5 SX is a front wheel drive five-door hatchback that provides a lot of utility for a small family. Its useful interior package is wrapped in a very nice looking and sporty skin.

2015 Audi A3 Sedans Ready to GoAudi A8 in a Smaller Platform  For a car that is slightly smaller than the Honda Civic sedan and the Ford Focus sedan, the designed-for-America (and China) 2015 Audi A3 sedan comes across as a premium piece.  The A3 previously was a slow selling hatchback.  Now adding the three-box notchback with a trunk bodystyle Audi can substantially broaden its appeal in the USA.  For decades, American buyers have perceived hatchbacks to have less safety (less rear crash protection – a perception) and less security (from bad guys seeing into the cargo area and stealing what is there).  The sedan clears those negative perceptions and gives Audi a strong platform to build the bottom end of its brand.

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