Study Indicates Millennials Are Worried About What Their Vehicle Says About Them - Audi Top Choice

Younger people ages 16 to 32 are interested in driving but are delaying getting a driver’s license more than previous generations, and are more conscious of a vehicle’s image and more open to import brands than older age groups, according to a study released Friday.

AutoTrader.com, a car shopping website, released its Millennial-focused “The Next Generation Car Buyer” study Friday during the Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit. By 2020, Millennials are expected to represent 40 percent of car sales.

“Millennials do care about cars and they do intend to drive,” said Isabelle Helms, senior director of research and marketing analytics for AutoTrader.com. “They’re just delaying their purchase and cars are very much a very important part of their lives.”

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ErnestHouse - 8/26/2013 10:31:32 AM

0 Boost

Millennials are why BMW stopped shipping M-sport equipped 5 Series with m-sport suspension. The good news is that BMW really understands it's enthusiast customers and have created a Facebook interface for buying meaningful BMW accessories like keychains and ball caps. Good Night! They even have a wedding gift registry. So cool.

Agent009 - 8/26/2013 2:11:17 PM

-1 Boost

I did a quick survey of the millennials at work without a car. All said they were going to eventually get one, but most echoed that they didn't want to look like a loser with a cheaper car.

Their first choices were to be luxury nameplates not mass produced brands. However most had no idea how they would afford the price of the luxury name plate over the mass produced brands.

interesting

Satriani1 - 8/26/2013 2:32:30 PM

-5 Boost

According to the AutoTrader study, younger buyers aspired to buy luxury brands: "The Audi brand was tops on Millennials’ lists for overall brand fit, reflecting the buyers’ personalities; that was followed by Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, BMW and Chevrolet."

In late July, Audi reported that its own research shows it already attracted the youngest buyers in the luxury segment. No wonder Audi is looking forward to the introduction of the new A3 sedan because "the combination of the sedan profile with technological advancements such as 4G LTE connectivity will attract Millennials who don’t want to wait to move up to the brand."
http://tinyurl.com/ljwx5wr

In the recent J.D. Power and Associates’ Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) study recently "Consumers in the Millennial demographic surveyed for APEAL gave Audi the highest overall rating in its competitive set on the criteria covered by the study, which include handling, exterior, interior, audio communications and entertainment, fuel economy and other important vehicle attributes."

Audi S3 sedan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-K2vi2tL9g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNIrE8D3S4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vYDA5Tdk8I

Audi A3: Design and Technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH9ISKyJwGQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXreVZDTHXg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaBGQ7x6SM4

However, if you don't have the money, never waste it on a luxury car. A luxury car is nice to have, not a must have. Buy a cheaper car, buy a nice bicycle, buy a motorbike -- or better still, take the bus to work and tell the gas guzzlers you love the environment. Save the money for a safe investment, for further education/training that gets you a better paying job, or for a home that doesn't depreciate so much.

Satriani1 - 8/26/2013 2:49:08 PM

-4 Boost

Comparison test: Audi A3 sedan versus Mercedes CLA
http://www.autobild.de/artikel/audi-a3-limousine-mercedes-cla-test-4330495.html

Comparison test: Audi A3 sedan versus BMW 3 Series
http://www.autobild.de/artikel/audi-a3-limousine-bmw-3er-test-4249005.html

Sciros - 8/26/2013 3:29:18 PM

+1 Boost

Millenials will also buy techy cars and, sure enough, cars that "stand out" in the good ways without necessarily breaking the bank. I wager Subaru is doing pretty well with the demographic (relatively speaking) because they fit that formula.

jeffgall - 8/26/2013 8:17:14 PM

-1 Boost

I don't really see this as anything new. Young people have always been more interested in their image. Clothes, electronics, etc. For some reason, older people seem to stop caring. Hence, older people in stone washed years and Kia Souls.