Examining How We Really Feel About Our Vehicles

It's often said that Americans have a romantic attachment to their cars. Like many romances, though, this one isn't as simple as it may seem at first glance. A report released this month by Mintel gives reason to wonder whether the more glamorous kind of automotive advertising is out of sync with the way consumers feel about driving and cars.One section of the survey (conducted in August and September among "primary drivers or those primarily responsible for purchase" of a vehicle) gave respondents a list of adjectives and asked them to pick the ones that describe how they feel when they're driving. The highest number of mentions went to "responsible" (46 percent) and "safe" (40 percent), with "happy" (39 percent), "practical" (37 percent) and "in charge" (35 percent) close behind. You've got to look farther down the list to find the likes of "powerful" (cited by 17 percent), "fast" (12 percent), "cute" (9 percent) or "sexy" (7 percent). Even fewer of those polled picked "rich" (4 percent) or "exotic" (3 percent).The pragmatic skew of the responses is consistent with another of the findings on people's basic attitudes toward driving. Sixty percent of respondents agreed that "The main purpose of a car or truck is to get from point A to point B." Men were almost as likely as women to endorse this statement (57 percent vs. 63 percent). Fifty-five percent of men and women alike agreed that "The true value of a car or truck is how long it lasts."Still, a majority of respondents balked at characterizing safety as the only thing that matters to them in a vehicle: Just 37 percent (though 43 percent of the poll's women) agreed that "I just want the safest car or truck possible." As you'd guess, this statement drew less assent from the poll's 18-24-year-olds (29 percent) and 25-34s (32 percent) than from their elders. What is surprising is that respondents with kids in the household weren't much more likely than those without kids to agree that safety is all that matters in a vehicle (38 percent vs. 36 percent).While the poll found pragmatic considerations outweighing other factors in respondents' attitudes toward cars and driving, a sizable minority of respondents did indicate an emotional attachment to their vehicles. For example, 12 percent of the poll's men and 17 percent of the women said they "talk to my car or truck, and/or have given it a name," with the younger respondents especially likely to do this. Twenty-three percent of the women and 22 percent of the men agreed that "I don't want anyone but me to drive my car or truck." Eighteen percent of respondents (including 15 percent of the women) said they "wash, polish or vacuum" their vehicle at least once a week.A significant number of drivers -- 13 percent -- said they "want my car or truck to catch people's attention." Among 18-24-year-olds, 25 percent said this is true of them, as did 18 percent of the 25-34s. This attitude was also more common among respondents with household income of $100,000-plus, among whom 18 percent expressed it.For some drivers, buying a car is a prelude to buying other things to adorn it. Eleven percent of respondents said that customizing a vehicle after buying it "is what makes it mine." In the 18-24 age bracket, the figure climbed to 23 percent. Twelve percent of all respondents agreed that "What really makes me feel good about my car or truck is the electronic extras (like sound system, navigation system, TV/video, or mobile connections)." In the $100,000-plus income bracket, 22 percent of respondents held that view.

Brand Marketing

Examining How We Really Feel About Our Vehicles

Mark Dolliver

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Mark Dolliver