COSTA MESA — A report by NADAguides revealed that domestic brands saw the only increase in consumer interest on NADAguides.com during the third quarter, with their share of overall consumer jumping by 10 percent, according to the Website’s third quarter Brand Share Report.
Topping the list of brands consumers are interested in was Chevrolet, which NADAguides analysts attribute to big consumer interest in the Cruze and Silverado, which has consistently remained near the top in terms of brand share and interest on NADAguides.com throughout the year, reported F&I and Showroom magazine.
During the second quarter, MINI and Fiat both experienced the largest growth in brand share, increasing by 206 and 168 percent, respectively. In the third quarter, Fiat continued its surge and saw the largest increase in overall brand share, increasing by more than 68 percent.
Consumer interest for MINI, however, fell dramatically by nearly 54 percent. As a result, European brands saw the biggest decrease in consumer interest on NADAguides.com during the third quarter, dropping by 14.9 percent as compared to 2Q 2011.
Chevrolet edged out Ford as the most researched brand on NADAguides, moving Ford into the second spot, while Toyota, Nissan and Honda maintained the third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Chevrolet owned 14.5 percent of overall consumer interest on NADAguides.com during the third quarter, Ford 13.3 percent, Toyota 9.9 percent, Nissan 6.29 percent and Honda 6.1 percent.
Interest for domestics increased by 10.2 percent while sales increased from 46.8 percent to 47.3 percent year-to-date, according to NADAguides. With the large jump in consumer brand interest during the quarter, it may be an indication that sales for domestics will continue in an upward trend for the remainder of the year.
“We continue to see the ‘Big Three’ putting out great vehicles that meet consumer demands at all price points and with many more options at high MPG ratings,” said Troy Snyder, director of product development, NADAguides. “Trends are expected to shift again as the year comes to a close and Japanese manufacturers are all nearly back to capacity production.”
