http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/01/survey-us-new-c.html#more
Survey: US New-Car Shoppers Do Not See Diesels as a Likely Mainstream Powertrain
28 January 2008
According to the latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research study, only six percent of new-car shoppers in the US think diesel is most likely to succeed in becoming a mainstream vehicle powertrain type, compared to 40% identifying hybrids, 20% picking hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and 17% citing flexible-fuel systems.
When asked about their perceptions of diesel engines, nearly half of in-market new-vehicle shoppers say they are dirty and noisy. In addition, the latest study shows that shoppers increasingly believe that diesel-powered vehicles get poorer fuel mileage than conventional gasoline engines, and fewer consumers are seeing diesels as fuel-efficient.
Interest in diesels is steadily declining among in-market new-vehicle shoppers, while interest in hybrids continues to grow. The gap between shoppers’ interest in diesels versus hybrids has greatly widened particularly in the last month, with the nine-point gap in December 2007 jumping to a 17-point gap in January 2008.
Many automakers are looking toward diesels as a very workable solution for the future, especially in light of the recently passed energy bill, but the results of this study should give them pause and make them realize they need to do a better, more thorough job of winning over the American consumer. Clearly many Americans still think of the dirty diesels of the past and are not aware of the benefits of new clean-diesel technology.
—Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book
While diesel consideration and favorability are declining in the eyes of in-market new-vehicle shoppers, hybrids continue to gain favor. In addition to hybrids being seen as the most viable mainstream powertrain choice, interest in hybrids has steadily increased in recent months, with 61% of shoppers saying they are interested in hybrids in the latest study....