February Polling Results: America's Love Affair with Autos
For Valentine's Day, the Auto Index delved deeper into the kinds of relationships Americans have with their cars, yielding some interesting findings about what gets Americans' engines revving:
How do you feel about the vehicle you currently drive... do you love it, like it or do you have no emotional attachment to your vehicle?
- 42% Love it
- 36% Like it
- 20% I have no emotional attachment to it
- 1% Not sure
Who are more emotionally attached to their vehicles... women or men?
- 21% Women
- 54% Men
- 24% Not sure
Have you ever named one of your vehicles?
- 33% Yes
- 63% No
- 3% Not sure
Have you ever talked to your vehicle?
- 42% Yes
- 54% No
- 3% Not sure
Do you have a picture of your current vehicle?
- 29% Yes
- 67% No
- 4% Not sure
Some people say choosing a car can be similar to choosing a spouse or date. Thinking about desirable characteristics in a new car, which is most important to you...sexy appearance, good personality or design, power, reliability or whether it’s family-oriented?
- 6% Sexy appearance
- 16% Good personality or design
- 8% Power
- 59% Reliability
- 6% Family-oriented vehicle
- 3% Something else
- 2% Not sure
Can a vehicle increase your sex appeal?
- 30% Yes
- 59% No
- 11% Not sure
Do others judge people by the kind of car they drive?
- 72% Yes
- 17% No
- 11% Not sure
Did your first kiss happen in a vehicle?
- 12% Yes
- 79% No
- 9% Not sure
Have you ever had a dating relationship end in a vehicle?
- 22% Yes
- 70% No
- 8% Not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
The Auto Index is a national survey of 4,660 adult vehicle owners. For more information on the Auto Index, visit www.autoalliance.org. The Auto Alliance is the trade association representing 12 major automakers who sell vehicles in the U.S.