perceptions of auto brands canada, …...of car brands including but not limited to: honda, toyota,...

PERCEPTIONS OF AUTO BRANDSCANADA, JANUARY 2018

PERCEPTIONS OF AUTO BRANDS, CANADA - JANUARY 2018 2

© Mintel Group Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview

What you need to know

Brand perceptions for automotive manufacturers are critical to success since consumers are infrequently in the market for a vehicle. Gas mileage, safety ratings, reputation and past experiences are key factors that play a role in shaping consumers’ perceptions of car brands. Operators in the category face hurdles such as bad publicity and the fact that most consumers are considering multiple brands for their next vehicle. With consumers likely to respond well to brands with strong resale value and to those that have high safety ratings, auto makers will need to identify their strengths and address them, in order to reach their target audience.

Definitions

This report focuses on consumers’ perceptions of car brands across all types including, but not limited to, sedans, coupes, station wagons, convertibles, pickup trucks, vans, minivans, crossover utility vehicles and SUVs (sport utility vehicles).

More specifically, this report focuses on consumers’ perceptions of car brands including but not limited to: Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Kia, GMC, Hyundai and Volkswagen. It also covers loyalty to auto brands, influencing factors on the perceptions of auto brands and attitudes towards car brands. Additionally, trends, innovations, issues and insights, market factors and marketing and advertising campaigns are explored.



REPORT CONTENT

Overview What you need to know Definitions

Executive Summary The issues

Figure 1: Perceptions of auto brands, Dodge vs GMC vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017 Figure 2: Media-related attitudes towards car brands, October 2017

The opportunities Figure 3: Perceptions of auto brands, Toyota vs Honda vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017 Figure 4: Loyalty towards cars and car brands, October 2017 Figure 5: Influencing factors (any rank), October 2017

What it means

The Market – What You Need to Know Government investment in Ontario’s auto industry Longer-lasting vehicles impact purchase decisions Monetary worries can lead to conservative spending habits Gas prices can affect vehicle choice

Market Factors Government investment in Ontario’s auto sector Longer-lasting vehicles impact purchase decisions Monetary concerns can lead to cautious spending habits Gasoline prices can affect vehicle choice

Figure 6: Average retail prices for regular gasoline in Canada

Key Players – What You Need to Know Marketing Subaru’s outdoor abilities Mazda targets those who enjoy driving Honda and Toyota excel Recalls continue Volvo and Jaguar plan electric and hybrid lineup

Marketing and Advertising Subaru’s outdoor capabilities

Figure 7: Subaru, mobile-advertisement, September 2017 Figure 8: Subaru, mobile-advertisement, September 2017

Mazda targets those who enjoy driving Figure 9: Mazda, online-advertisement, November 2017 Figure 10: Mazda, online-advertisement, May 2017 Figure 11: Mazda Canada, 2017 CX-5, The Art of The Drive, April 2017

Built Ford tough Figure 12: Ford, online-advertisement, November 2017 Figure 13: Ford Canada, haul more with the new 2018 F-150, September 2017

VW’s stylish new additions Figure 14: Volkswagen, online-advertisement, October 2017 Figure 15: Volkswagen, Volksfest sales event, print advertisement, October 2017



What’s Working? Honda and Toyota dominate Tesla highly regarded as “cutting edge”

What’s Struggling? Positive perceptions of VW even after emissions scandal

What’s Next? Volvo and Jaguar soon to go all electric and hybrid Ford and General Motors look to rebrand as mobility companies

The Consumer – What You Need to Know Perceptions strong for Honda and Toyota Mazda seen as stylish, Kia and Hyundai as good value Most enjoy driving their vehicle Gas mileage the top influencing factor Negative publicity and reviews affect brand consideration

Perceptions of Auto Brands Honda and Toyota lead the pack

Figure 16: Perceptions of auto brands, Toyota vs Honda vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017 Figure 17: Perceptions of Toyota (select), by age, October 2017 Figure 18: Perceptions of Honda (select), by age, October 2017

Chinese Canadians have a favourable view of Honda Figure 19: Perception of Honda, Chinese Canadians vs overall population, October 2017

Dodge and GMC lag behind Figure 20: Perceptions of auto brands, Dodge vs GMC vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017

VW seen as stylish, good quality and luxurious Figure 21: Perceptions of auto brands, Volkswagen vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017

Mazda viewed as stylish, but less so on durability Figure 22: Perceptions of auto brands (select), Mazda vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017

South Korean auto makers receive high marks for value Figure 23: Good value perception of auto brands, Hyundai vs Kia vs average perception score across all brands, October 2017

Brand Loyalty Most take pleasure in driving their vehicle

Figure 24: Loyalty towards cars and car brands, October 2017 Women place more importance on resale value

Figure 25: Importance of resale price when choosing a brand, by gender, October 2017 Over half are considering multiple brands

Influencing Factors Gas mileage is a key influencing factor

Figure 26: Influencing factors (any rank), October 2017 Older cohorts more likely to cite past experience and customer service

Figure 27: Influencing factors (any rank), 18-44s vs over-45s, October 2017

Attitudes towards Automotive Brands Negative publicity as well as reviews can swing brand consideration

Figure 28: Media-related attitudes towards car brands, October 2017 Figure 29: Select attitudes towards car brands, October 2017

Safety a concern for Chinese Canadians

Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations Data sources Abbreviations and terms



DATABOOK CONTENT

Standard demographics you can expect to see tracked in our Databooks:

• Gender • Age • Gender/age combined • Generation • Race/Hispanic origin • Geographic region • Geographic area (urban, suburban, rural) • Household income • Age/income combined • Employment status • Education level • Presence and number of children in the household • Household size • Marital status • Home ownership status • Social media usage • Mobile device ownership

Consumer Research

Consumer section: Number of vehicles

Number of vehiclesNumber of vehicles, by demographics

Consumer section: Vehicle purchase intent

Vehicle purchase intent Vehicle purchase intent, by demographics

Consumer section: Brand perceptions

Brand perceptions Brand perceptions , by demographics

Consumer section: Brand loyalty

Brand loyaltyBrand loyalty, by demographicsBrand loyalty - whose household has a vehicle, by demographicsBrand loyalty - whose household has a vehicle and who plan to purchase a vehicle in the next three years, by demographicsBrand loyalty - who plan to purchase a vehicle in the next three years



Consumer section: Influencing factors

Influencing factors Influencing factors , by demographics

Consumer section: Attitudes towards car brands

Attitudes towards car brands Attitudes towards car brands, by demographics

Demographics by demographics

Demographics by demographics



SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

Based on exclusive consumer research, Mintel shows you how people use the internet to interact with the brands they buy, the leading topics of interest and how these play out across categories. We look at opinions shared on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, via online review sites and forums, and offline. This reporting allows you to see which brands and topics generate the most conversations online and why.

Luxury drives car brand discussions

Online discussions around ‘car brand(s)’ show some 43% of posts pertain to luxury automotive. Luxury brands boast the largest audiences across all tracked social channels as well as the highest total number of engagements.

Safety ratings are critical influencers

As brands think about safety features, the competitive edge is not only within innovation but in how they communicate their commitment to safety.

Instagram driving brand engagement

Instagram has become a highly influential platform for auto brands. Not only has it seen the highest audience growth among the tracked social platforms over the past year, it accounts for the majority of social engagements.

How vehicle type influences brand affinity

Just as consumers are passionate about specific auto brands, they are passionate about their preferred vehicle types and what that says about their identity.

© 2018 Mintel Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Confidential to Mintel.

Published by Mintel Group Ltdwww.mintel.comemail: [email protected]

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perceptions of auto brands canada, …...of car brands including but not limited to: honda, toyota,...

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