Average consumer still resists change to AEVs: survey

Research into North American car buying habits shows that consumers turn to more cost-effective, fuel-efficient vehicles at times of rising gas prices, but do not necessarily switch to Alternative Energy Vehicles (AEVs) including hybrids and electric vehicles. While demand for compact cars is high, accounting for 18.1 per cent of light vehicle demand in the six months up to May, 2011, demand for AEVs is currently at 9.4 per cent. Subcompacts made up just 3.6 per cent of demand.

Researchers at GfK Automotive in New York found that three factors hinder demand for AEVs: lower familiarity, higher prices and lack of convenience.

Consumers, said a GfK researcher, see more value in smaller vehicles with traditional gas engines. Newer compact cars now have many features once found only in larger cars. This increased comfort, combined with better fuel efficiency, makes them a more attractive choice for the average consumer.

Automakers will have to overcome these obstacles—unfamiliarity, cost and inconvenience—if they are to persuade consumers to move to AEVs.

The emotional benefits of owning an AEV need to be more strongly communicated to consumers: the pride and sense of doing something positive for the environment that come with driving "green" cars could be a powerful motivator.

The GfK Automotive Intentions and Purchase Study tracks consumer demand for new cars in the US market on a monthly and quarterly basis. It claims to receive about 200,000 completed surveys each quarter, including 90,000 new vehicle "intenders."