The hearts of new-car buyers

American Demographics, August, 1991 by Marc B. Rubner

FRED SATTLER WANTS TO JUMPstart the hearts of new-car buyers. A new source tells him how to do it.

Sattler is media research director for Chiat/Day/Mojo, the ad agency that handles Nissan's multimillion-dollar advertising account. The first psychographic segmentation of new-car buyers arrived on his desk a few months ago. It is part of the 1990 Power Car Media Report from J.D. Power and Associates, a research firm based in Agoura Hills, California. Power is hoping to do for Gearheads, Epicures, and Road-Haters what SRI International's Values and Lifestyles (VALS) typology does for Strivers, Achievers, and Actualizers.

The Power study's segments are based on responses to 16 automotive-related attitude and buying style questions. They divide new-car buyers into six groups, according to their attitudes toward cars and the "driving experience."

Gearheads are true car enthusiasts who enjoy driving and working on their cars themselves. They are most likely to believe that a car says a lot about its owner. Mostly men, with many craft workers and blue-collar workers, they love domestic and Japanese sports cars.

Epicures prefer to drive fully equipped, comfortable cars that seem stylish or elegant. This group has the second-highest share of women and the highest share of households with household incomes of $100,000 or more. They go for luxury and sports cars, especially convertibles.

Purists, the youngest group, are not brand loyal and are skeptical about auto manufacturers' claims. Yet they like automobiles, enjoy driving, and are particularly interested in cars with sport attributes. This group has high concentrations of laborers and Asian Americans.

Functionalists lean toward sensible, fuel-efficient transportation and are not highly influenced by sportiness or styling. These conservative, law-abiding drivers are likely to have children at home. They buy small and mid-sized domestic cars.

Road-Haters are the group most concerned about safety, with a strong preference for large domestic cars. They don't enjoy driving cars, and they don't rate themselves as being very knowledgeable about cars. This group has the highest share of women, the highest median age, and the lowest median personal income.

Negatives view cars as necessary evils that they would just as soon do without. They don't have much interest in upkeep, colors, or options. This is the most educated group, with a high share of household incomes over $75,000. They buy small to mid-sized imported cars.

The Power Car Media Report is an annual survey of 10,000 new-car registrants that is used by advertising agencies, magazine publishers, and cable and broadcast television companies to target car buyers. The segmentation questions were included in half of the questionnaires.

For more information on the Power Car Media Report, contact J.D. Power and Associates at 30401 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301; telephone (818) 889-6330.

Gearheads and
Road-Haters

(median age, median personal income, and
market share of new-car buyers, by
psychographic groups, 1990)

                           median    percent of
                 median   personal   all new-car
segment           age      income      buyers

Purists           33.8    $31,660         4%
Gearheads         38.7    $34,130        17
Negatives         40.4    $34,000        16
Epicures          41.8    $31,900        26
Functionalists    43.5    $29,020        12
Road-Haters       44.4    $27,970        26

Note: See text for explanation of segments.

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 1990 Car Media Report

--Marc B. Rubner