Market Snapshot

One word forces you to talk about the most important person in your marketing equation: the prospect. It's the most important word you can use in your advertising, promotional copy and sales scripts, according to Larry Mersereau, a small-business consultant, speaker and author in the field of marketing and promotion. He says that too many marketers talk about themselves or their wonderful product. They want their prospects to know about their awards, and they want their prospects to know what they look like.

Two production-ready amphibious vehicles are planned for introduction in the United States in 2009, according to UK-based Gibbs Technologies, who is forming three new companies to produce and market its vehicles in North America. Quadski, an all-terrain vehicle, will be manufactured and sold by Gibbs Sports Amphibians. Aquada, a vehicle that combines the handling of a sports car with an ability to travel at more than 30 mph on water, will be built and marketed by Gibbs Amphibians.

Textron Inc. is now seeking licensing agreements for its latest surface-contamination detection system that enables accurate, automated, inline inspection of metallic and composite panels prior to bonding, coating, painting or welding operations. It says that the technology is currently used for real-time, in-process panel inspection at a leading U.S. aircraft manufacturer, where detecting surface contamination before subsequent operations has resulted in lower scrap and rework cost and improved customer satisfaction.

Approximately 71% of U.S. consumers are using the Internet today, according to data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Nearly the same numbers of men versus women are using the Internet, but the age groups that are now going online is skewed toward younger demographics. According to the data, 87% of consumers aged 18–29 use the Internet, but 83% of the consumers aged 30–49, 65% between 50–64 and 32% of those over 65, are now going online. In other words, consumers under 50 years old are typically using the Internet.

According to Ward's Auto, light-vehicle sales for the month of June are expected to fall 1.2%, averaging 57,537 units on each of 27 days. This is compared to 56,839 units during 26 days in June of 2006. The Ward's Auto article states that on a volume basis, sales should hit 1,534,650 units, a 38,687-unit increase over last year's 1,495,963, due to buyers seeking out model-year clearance bargains.

The number of E85 refueling locations across the United States now exceeds 1,200, according to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC). The Renew E85, LLC station at 1440 Horicon Street in Maryville, Wisconsin, is one of the newest E85 stations and put the total number of E85 fueling sites over 1,200. 

A new study reports that safety is a major reason why consumers consider and purchase Xenon or High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights on their automobiles.

The research was conducted by Brand-Aid Consulting of Wrentham, Massachusetts. In conjunction with R.L. Polk registration data, Brand-Aid surveyed 400 people who drove 2003–2005 model-year vehicles. Two hundred of the owners drove Xenon-equipped vehicles, while the other half drove vehicles with halogen lighting.

A study released by the automotive consulting firm AutoPacific Inc. summarizes the results of its 2007 model-year vehicle-satisfaction research. AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new car or light truck. Vehicle satisfaction may be an indicator of what vehicle buyers may buy in the future.

What characteristics are most important to new-vehicle buyers? Recent data from the automotive consulting firm AutoPacific shows that overall reliability and durability tops the list of characteristics new-vehicle buyers are looking for when making their automotive purchases. In their Future Vehicle Study, AutoPacific sent out its survey to new-vehicle buyers to find out what features, characteristics and types of vehicles they look for in their current and future vehicle purchases.

New-vehicle buyers are increasingly demanding customized vehicle interiors that make their vehicles feel uniquely theirs, according to a recent WardsAuto.com article. The trend spans newly licensed “Echo Boomers” to well-experienced baby boomers. However, the latter is more concerned with comfort while the former want different interior colors for their personalization needs, commented Erich Merkle, IRN Inc. director of forecasting, in the WardsAuto.com article.