Most Patriotic Car Buying Cities
CarGurus Study Ranks U.S. Metro Areas by Consumer Interest in Buying American Cars; Midwest Cities Top List, Coastal Cities Rank Lowest
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 27, 2011 -- In a study that compared the car shopping behaviors of consumers from fifty major U.S. metro areas, CarGurus (https://www.cargurus.com/), the auto research and shopping site, found that consumers in the Midwest (the Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland and Milwaukee metro areas) showed the strongest interest in buying American brand cars as compared to Asian and European brands. For the study, CarGurus examined the car shopping behaviors of consumers using its flagship DealFinder car shopping service in fifty major U.S. metro areas during the past six months. Metro areas were ranked according to the percentage of total dealer inquiries submitted by consumers that were for American brand cars.
Of the cars pursued by shoppers in the Detroit metro area, 67% were American brand cars, while only 16% were Asian brands and 16% were European brands. American brand interest in Saint Louis was similar at 67%. The metro areas with the lowest relative interest in buying American brand cars were all on the West Coast: Los Angeles (27% American car brand interest), San Francisco (27%), San Diego (27%) and San Jose (29%). Additionally, major East Coast metro areas of New York (32%) and Boston (33%) were among the 10 metro areas with the lowest interest in American brands. In the Washington, D.C., metro area, 35% of cars pursued by consumers were American brands, 42% were Asian brands, and 23% were European brands.
Ranking of Metro Areas by Level of Consumer Interest in Buying American Brand Cars
| Metro Area | American Brands | Asian Brands | European Brands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 67% | 16% | 16% |
| 2 | St. Louis | 67% | 22% | 11% |
| 3 | Cleveland | 59% | 29% | 12% |
| 4 | Milwaukee | 58% | 31% | 11% |
| 5 | Tulsa | 57% | 35% | 9% |
| 6 | Indianapolis | 56% | 32% | 12% |
| 7 | Louisville | 55% | 37% | 7% |
| 8 | Pittsburg | 54% | 30% | 15% |
| 9 | Minneapolis | 53% | 34% | 13% |
| 10 | Memphis | 52% | 33% | 16% |
| 11 | Kansas City | 50% | 32% | 18% |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 49% | 36% | 15% |
| 13 | Buffalo | 49% | 31% | 20% |
| 14 | San Antonio | 47% | 36% | 17% |
| 15 | Rochester | 46% | 41% | 13% |
| 16 | New Orleans | 45% | 42% | 13% |
| 17 | Chicago | 45% | 36% | 19% |
| 18 | Orlando | 44% | 37% | 19% |
| 19 | Nashville | 44% | 37% | 19% |
| 20 | Charlotte | 44% | 40% | 17% |
| 21 | Columbus | 43% | 48% | 9% |
| 22 | Las Vegas | 43% | 40% | 17% |
| 23 | Raleigh | 42% | 44% | 14% |
| 24 | Houston | 42% | 39% | 19% |
| 25 | Baltimore | 42% | 42% | 16% |
| 26 | Tampa | 42% | 41% | 18% |
| 27 | Birmingham | 41% | 42% | 17% |
| 28 | Oklahoma City | 40% | 46% | 14% |
| 29 | Atlanta | 40% | 36% | 24% |
| 30 | Dallas | 40% | 39% | 22% |
| 31 | Hartford | 39% | 39% | 22% |
| 32 | Virginia Beach | 39% | 40% | 21% |
| 33 | Philadelphia | 38% | 38% | 24% |
| 34 | Providence | 38% | 42% | 20% |
| 35 | Richmond | 38% | 46% | 16% |
| 36 | Portland, Ore. | 37% | 38% | 25% |
| 37 | Austin | 37% | 46% | 18% |
| 38 | Jacksonville | 36% | 44% | 19% |
| 39 | Denver | 36% | 48% | 16% |
| 40 | Washington | 35% | 42% | 23% |
| 41 | Miami | 35% | 39% | 27% |
| 42 | Salt Lake City | 34% | 52% | 13% |
| 43 | Seattle | 34% | 43% | 23% |
| 44 | Boston | 33% | 47% | 20% |
| 45 | New York | 32% | 39% | 29% |
| 46 | Phoenix | 32% | 56% | 12% |
| 47 | San Jose | 29% | 45% | 26% |
| 48 | San Diego | 27% | 46% | 27% |
| 49 | San Francisco | 27% | 42% | 31% |
| 50 | Los Angeles | 27% | 39% | 34% |
Methodology
CarGurus studied the car shopping preferences of consumers in fifty major U.S. metro areas over the past six months by studying the cars pursued by shoppers using CarGurus' DealFinder shopping service. DealFinder hosts millions of car listings from more than 12,000 dealers across the country. Pursued listings were defined as listings for which consumers contacted the dealership with purchase interest. For each metro area, CarGurus calculated the percentage of total pursued cars that were American brands, Asian brands or European brands. Metro areas were ranked according to the percentage of total dealer inquiries submitted that were for American brand cars.
About CarGurus
CarGurus is a leading online automotive destination that is focused on making the online car shopping and research experience more transparent for consumers. CarGurus' free DealFinder (https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/forsale) shopping tool gives consumers instant guidance on the best car deals available in their area. Shoppers plug in their zip code and desired car and get an instant view of available vehicles, ranked from great deals to cars that are overpriced. DealFinder rankings are based on a proprietary mathematical model that factors in the prices of millions of current and recently sold comparable car listings to determine a car’s Instant Market Value. CarGurus DealFinder is the only automotive shopping service that ranks listings based on monetary savings for consumers, making it easy to find great deals in your local market.
CarGurus
617-216-2900
pr@cargurus.com
###