Toyota Camry vs. Chevrolet Camaro: Two Automotive Icons Battle for Buzz

Intelliseek Auto Show analysis finds online excitement high for the redesigned Toyota Camry and reborn Chevrolet Camaro

CINCINNATI, Jan. 31 -- According to analysis of online "buzz" about new cars introduced at January's Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows, consumers are most excited about born-again muscle car concepts Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, but when they offer recommendations on which cars to purchase this year, the reliable Toyota Camry and newcomer Honda Fit top the list.

Intelliseek, soon to join BuzzMetrics and Nielsen to offer the Nielsen BuzzMetrics solution, analyzed thousands of online discussions (Dec. 1, 2005 to Jan. 23, 2006) that originated on auto forums and blogs, including "buzz" about production vehicles and concept cars introduced at the auto shows.

Among the top 10 concept vehicles, the Chevrolet Camaro captured 26% of consumer "buzz," followed by the Dodge Challenger (24%), Buick Enclave (16%), Chrysler Imperial (10%), Nissan Urge (7%), Infiniti coupe concept (5%), Mazda Kabura (4%), Lincoln MKS (4%), Ford Super Chief (4%) and Ford Reflex (3%).

And among the top 10 production vehicles, the Toyota Camry captured 17% of buzz, followed by the Honda Fit (13%), Lexus LS 460 (10%), Ford Edge (8%), Chevrolet Tahoe (8%), Nissan Sentra (8%), Jeep Compass (8%), Chrysler Aspen (7%), Dodge Caliber (6%) and Jeep Wrangler (4%).

"Initial reaction from influential consumers and bloggers can set the stage for new-model launches," said Bill Stephenson, director of business development for Intelliseek's auto practice. "Word-of-mouth opinions and reactions can build excitement around a new vehicle or dissuade shoppers from even visiting a dealer showroom for a test drive. Automakers should understand what shoppers, owners and competitors are saying online and manage that discussion effectively."

Stephenson noted that discussion forums and blogs are valuable sources for new-car shoppers for several reasons: visibility on major search engines when consumers seek information on new vehicles, access to thousands of online owners' insights on everything from price to service, and lack of trust in traditional advertising.

About Intelliseek

Intelliseek Inc. will soon join with BuzzMetrics and Nielsen to create and market the Nielsen BuzzMetrics solution for measuring and analyzing online word of mouth and consumer-generated media. BuzzMetrics is a unit of VNU, owner of ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research. Information, www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com.