Press

Hybrid car interest grows 70 percent while Ford dominates Top Ten spots across Jumpstart's network; Interest in compact and luxury car segments expected to increase throughout 2012.

San Francisco, CA, January 19, 2012 — A report released today by Jumpstart Automotive Group, a division of Hearst Magazines, reveals interesting 2011 car shopping and research trends across the company's network of 15 automotive websites, as well as key 2012 auto industry forecasts by Jumpstart's Strategic Insights division.

In 2011, the big winner across Jumpstart's network was Ford. The automaker grew nearly 2 percentage points in audience share and now represents 14 percent share of all Jumpstart shoppers — gaining 3.4 percentage points over Chevrolet (at 10.5 percent share) and 3.8 percentage points over Toyota (at 10.1 percent share).

Much of Ford's success can be attributed to an aggressive digital marketing campaign that incorporated viral marketing, interactive media and social elements to generate interest, particularly in the 2011 Fiesta. "Ford has obviously achieved success with brand improvement," said Libby Murad-Patel, Jumpstart's Senior Director of Strategic Insights. "We're seeing the results of this success with significant upticks in Ford vehicle shopper interest across Jumpstart's network, which are mirrored by actual sales increases."

Key 2011 Car Shopping and Research Trends include:

• The Hybrid car category across Jumpstart's network increased 70 percent in audience share over 2010
• In the electric car category, the Chevy Volt — now representing a 76 percent share of audience — surpassed the Nissan Leaf in car shopper interest
• Ford dominated audience share across Jumpstart's network, with five of its vehicles — the Ford Mustang, Focus, Escape, Explorer and F-150 — in the Top Ten spots of audience share
• The Ford Mustang surpassed the Honda Civic and Accord to the number one spot (or highest share) of Jumpstart shoppers overall, now representing approximately 2.6 percent audience share
• Audi, who also had hugely successful viral campaigns spanning both TV and digital, dominated growth in share of luxury car shoppers at 29 percent over 2010 (now representing a 4 percent share of Jumpstart shoppers) — surpassing BMW by 1.2 percentage points and Mercedes-Benz by 2.3 percentage points
• Interest in compact cars remained strong; Ford Fiesta increased 57 percent in audience share, while Mini and Smart increased approximately 79 percent in share over 2010
• Even though more aspiration vehicles returned to the top ten list across Jumpstart's network, the most popular car shopping search term was "affordable"

"Car buyers remain motivated by economic factors, basing their immediate purchase decisions on price and value," says Nick Matarazzo, Jumpstart Automotive Group CEO. "But we've seen consumer optimism revealing itself with an increased demand for luxury car information and a growth in luxury car interest across the Jumpstart network."

2012 Auto Industry Forecasts from Jumpstart's Strategic Insights Group:

• New car sales are expected to increase in 2012 due to pent-up demand from consumers holding onto vehicles longer coupled with 2011 inventory depletions of popular Asian brands that may have delayed new car purchases until now
• Barring sudden shifts in employment rates, oil prices or consumer confidence, Jumpstart analysts expect to see continued growth in new vehicle sales in line with industry analysts to an estimated 13.8 million units by year-end
• Price is not expected to be the number one driver of car purchase decisions this year — although it will still be important, consumers who have held onto their cars for longer periods of time may now have the money to step up from their last vehicle purchase
• Car shopping interest in luxury and compact cars is expected to continue to rise throughout 2012

"We expect to see continued growth in shopping activity among the compact segment, as there are a number of high quality new vehicles on the market with technology and convenience features built in," said Murad-Patel. "Many of these new vehicles are also fuel-efficient. Because of these factors, they resonate with a broad demographic."

• In the Non-Luxury Crossover-Utility Vehicle category (CUV): Although the Chevy Equinox holds a strong margin of Jumpstart audience share against its competitors, interest in Hyundai is strong and the automaker is expected to continue gaining traction with its Santa Fe and Tucson
• In the Non-Luxury Sedan category: As the margins against competitors of the Honda Civic and Accord shrink, the top 5 in this segment could look very differently in 2012, likely including the Hyundai Elantra and Sonata
• In the Luxury Sedan category: The BMW 5-Series and 7-Series sedans have seen decreases in share that could allow competitors Audi, Acura and Mercedes-Benz to move ahead in 2012

Read the full report at www.jumpstartautomotivegroup.com/insights/2011-year-in-review

To learn more about Jumpstart's analytics capabilities, data and insights, visit JumpstartAuto.com/insights or contact Libby Murad-Patel of Jumpstart Strategic Insights division at lmurad@jumpstartauto.com. Follow Jumpstart on Twitter @JumpstartAuto

About Jumpstart Automotive Group
Jumpstart Automotive Group, a Hearst Media Services company, is an expert automotive marketing organization. It represents the broadest and most diverse audience of in-market car shoppers and influencers across 15 automotive websites that include Vehix, Consumer Guide Automotive, JD Power Autos, Shopping.com Autos, Car and Driver, Road & Track, CarSoup, U.S.News Autos, HybridCars, CarGurus, TrueCar, PlugInCars, Overstock Cars, Leftlane and EveryCarListed. Fueled by a passion for performance, Jumpstart Automotive Group is committed to the development of quality content and services for consumers and to maximizing publisher revenue and advertiser results through innovative products and services. Jumpstart is at the forefront of behavioral targeting, research and strategic insights products. For more information, visit JumpstartAuto.com.

Media Inquiries:
Jennifer Lange
Jumpstart Automotive Group
(949) 916-4820
jlange@getsplashmedia.com