Cars.com Viewers Forget About High Gas Prices as Searches for Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Slow; SUV Searches Rise
 Finger Courtesy Exploratorium |
CHICAGO, Oct. 9, 2006 -- As gas prices fall further below $3 a gallon, consumer searches for fuel-efficient vehicles have started to decline. According to the most recent Cars.com Consumer Search Index report, cars like the Toyota Prius, Toyota Yaris and Honda Insight top the list of new and used vehicles with the largest decline in search volume over the past month.
While searches for fuel-efficient vehicles have declined, searches for large luxury SUVs have increased significantly. The Hummer H2 and H3, Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade and BMW X5 all made the list of used cars with the largest increase in searches over the past month.
"The recent drop in gasoline prices once again shows that consumers have a short memory when it comes to the effect that gas prices have on their shopping behavior," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com's managing editor. "It has been less than a month since gas prices dropped below $3 a gallon, and we have seen a surge of consumers looking for SUVs on Cars.com."
Vehicle Searches (September) Models with the most searches performed on Cars.com. Top New-Car Searches Top Used-Car Searches 1 Honda Civic 1 Honda Civic 2 Toyota Camry 2 Honda Accord 3 Honda Accord 3 Ford Mustang 4 Acura MDX 4 Toyota Camry 5 Toyota Corolla 5 Ford F-150 6 BMW 325 6 Toyota Corolla 7 Toyota Yaris 7 Toyota Tacoma 8 Toyota RAV4 8 Chevrolet Corvette 9 Ford Mustang 9 Volkswagen Jetta 10 Toyota Tacoma 10 Nissan Maxima Search Increases (August-September)
Models with the largest increase in the number of searches performed on Cars.com.
Top New-Car Search Increases Top Used-Car Search Increases 1 Hyundai Santa Fe 17.28% 1 Porsche Cayenne 15.13% 2 Chevrolet Avalanche 16.68% 2 Hummer H2 14.17% 3 Jeep Wrangler 12.88% 3 Lexus LX 470 13.64% 4 Cadillac CTS 11.94% 4 Hummer H3 13.03% 5 Audi A3 9.52% 5 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 12.73% 6 Honda CR-V 8.17% 6 Infiniti QX56 9.06% 7 Acura MDX 7.84% 7 Ford Bronco 8.42% 8 Chrysler 300 7.13% 8 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class 8.35% 9 BMW 325 2.94% 9 Cadillac Escalade 7.40% 10 Chevrolet Tahoe .14% 10 BMW X5 7.29% Search Decreases (August-September)
Models with the largest decrease in the number of searches performed on Cars.com.
Top New-Car Search Decreases Top Used-Car Search Decreases 1 Toyota Yaris 37.85% 1 Honda Insight 30.65% 2 Toyota Prius 33.85% 2 Toyota Prius 29.98% 3 Volkswagen Jetta 32.14% 3 Toyota Yaris 27.91% 4 Hyundai Sonata 26.02% 4 Chevrolet Prizm 27.23% 5 Toyota Corolla 25.64% 5 Ford Contour 26.46% 6 Toyota Camry 23.07% 6 Geo Metro 25.01% 7 Chevrolet Cobalt 21.62% 7 Volkswagen Jetta 24.08% 8 Honda Civic 21.29% 8 Volkswagen Beetle 22.91% 9 Honda Accord 18.78% 9 Toyota Tercel 22.80% 10 Honda Pilot 18.64% 10 Ford Focus 22.42% Top Dealer Email Inquiries (September) New Cars Yielding the Used Cars Yielding the Most Dealer Inquiries Most Dealer Inquiries 1 Honda Civic (2006) 1 Honda Civic (2000) 2 Honda Accord (2006) 2 Honda Accord (2003) 3 Toyota Camry (2006) 3 Honda Civic (2001) 4 Toyota Corolla (2006) 4 Honda Accord (1999) 5 Honda Odyssey (2006) 5 Honda Civic (2002) 6 Toyota RAV4 (2006) 6 Honda Civic (2003) 7 Honda Pilot (2006) 7 Honda Accord (2002) 8 Toyota Sienna (2006) 8 Honda Civic (1999) 9 Toyota Highlander (2006) 9 Volkswagen Jetta (2000) 10 Toyota Camry (2007) 10 Honda Civic (2004) Top Cars Listed for Sale by Owner (September) 1 Honda Accord 2 Honda Civic 3 Ford Mustang 4 Toyota Camry 5 Ford F-150 6 Ford Explorer 7 Jeep Grand Cherokee 8 Volkswagen Jetta 9 Chevrolet Corvette 10 Jeep Wrangler About the Cars.com Consumer Search Index
The Cars.com Consumer Search Index offers a comprehensive look at the internet search behavior of Cars.com visitors. The statistical information is compiled by tracking the more than 8.3 million unique visitors that log on to Cars.com each month and the vehicles that are most popular. The lists are based off a minimum of 10,000 searches for new cars and 15,000 searches for used cars. Dealer inquiries measure the volume of emails consumers send to dealers seeking information about a particular vehicle. The information is supported by expert analysis from the Cars.com editorial staff.
More statistical information to support automotive-related stories is available upon request. Please contact Steve Nolan directly at 312-601-5163.
About Cars.com
Partnered with more than 200 leading metro newspapers, television stations and their websites, Cars.com is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 1.8 million vehicles from 12,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer consumers the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Recently selected by Forbes.com as a Best of the Web site for car shopping, Cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month.
Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, (http://classifiedventures.com/), which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company , Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .