| Automakers try to stay eternally young, hip |
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| Wednesday, 30 May 2007 | |||
These days, it seems like auto manufacturers are doing anything possible to attract younger car buyers.
“Kids want power everything, and they don't want to adjust the mirror (manually),” said Bill Kwong, a product communication administrator at Toyota. “They feel entitled to that. What the kids want is something different. They don't want another Corolla.” What they do want are options, whether they are entertainment or performance-related. From iPod jacks to navigation systems, installed DVD players to CD changers and performance and safety features aplenty, today's younger drivers want distinction and exclusivity perhaps more than anything else. All of that, of course, at affordable prices. “It's about personalization,” said Wendy Clark, a manager in product communications at Chevrolet. “It's about the ability to make the car look different.” And it's about how a car suits people's day-to-day lives. “That premium stuff trickles down, and people want options like that,” said Brian Moody, a road-test editor for Edmunds.com, one of the foremost authorities on rating automobiles. “In this particular age group, it wouldn't be driven by what the next guy has, but more by how it affects their life.” With a large number of 2008 models due out in late summer and early fall, auto manufacturers have stepped up their efforts to target the youth audience. That includes taking into account a number of factors deemed important by younger customers, in particular, the environment and fuel-efficient vehicles. That might explain why a brand such as Toyota, fueled by record sales of its hybrid Camry and Prius, reported an all-time best monthly sales of 242,675 vehicles in March, an increase of 7.7 percent from the previous March. In that report, the Prius — a gas-electric midsize sedan — posted an all-time best monthly sales of 19,156 units, which marked an increase of 133.2 percent from the same period in 2006. Skyrocketing gas prices, along with a focus on the environment, are billed as the primary reasons for a shift toward hybrid vehicles. “When you're talking about Generation Y and what that group holds important,” said Brian Brockman, a product communications manager at Saturn, “fuel efficiency and environmental considerations are very important to that age set.” Which is why even nonhybrid fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus and Pontiac Vibe, remain popular choices among the younger demographic. Of course, keeping up with that fast-paced group isn't always easy. “We're trying to keep the product fresh because you can't do the same old thing,” Kwong said. “You have to go to the very ragged edge of marketing and advertising without falling over.” CLINT HALE | 210SA |
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