Toyota Top Choice Among Black American Car Buyers in 2010, According to Polk Survey

African-American market increased 68 percent more than non-ethnic market in 2010 as buyers returned to showrooms

SOUTHFIELD, MI - April 26, 2011: Toyota led all automotive brands among new vehicle purchases by African-Americans in 2010, according to Polk. Total new vehicle registrations among this audience reached 641,090, an increase of 11.5 percent over 2009 -- and represented 7.4 percent of all new vehicle registrations in 2010. Furthermore, the African-American market volume increase was 68.6 percent greater than the non-ethnic market increase of 6.8 percent.

"With the U.S. population growing faster in the African-American segment than others, there's a significant opportunity for automotive manufacturers and dealers to begin to align marketing initiatives toward this specific audience," said Marc Bland, product strategist at Polk. "Those companies that are ahead of the curve, like Toyota, are already reaping the rewards."

Brand Performance among African-Americans
The top five brands account for 60 percent of the African-American market, each with more than 10 percent share. Ford and Chevrolet joined Toyota to round out the top three.