Generation Y More Likely To Buy a Hybrid

[Danny]

A new story entry has been added:

Generation Y More Likely To Buy a Hybrid

GENERATION Y OPEN TO NEW BRANDS, NEW TECHNOLOGY AND HYBRIDS
Survey Shows Generation Y Frequently Multitasking While Driving

[bwilson4web]

If I remember correctly there was a survey done about a year ago on Prius owners and we found the 'Sputnik generation' was the single largest group of Prius owners/buyers. Then came the kids. Everybody else was under represented. ... (old man's voice)Now where did I leave that poll ...

Bob Wilson

[Jim Calvert]

Buying a hybrid reflects intelligence and a positive outlook for the future. Multitasking while driving reflects just the opposite - and points to no future at all.

Jim

[SureValla]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

If I remember correctly there was a survey done about a year ago on Prius owners and we found the 'Sputnik generation' was the single largest group of Prius owners/buyers. Then came the kids. Everybody else was under represented. ... (old man's voice)Now where did I leave that poll ...

Bob Wilson

this article says likely to buy a hybrid as in in the future, not most likely to have bought a hybrid

most people from gen Y don't have enough money to buy one yet. This article is saying in the future we will redefine the industry.

However I will concur with your sputnik generation as the most likely to have bought a hybrid first

[bwilson4web]

Ok, I found it ... somewhere in the distant past in a place far far away.

. . . the age distribution clearly shows an unusual distribution.

Using the 2003 USA census data, I plotted the age distribution adjusted back to 2008:

It wasn't until I included the approximate birth year that one event came clear, sputnik. It looks like many of us grew up in time of great interest in space. As one of the geriatric members, I know space and aviation always played a big part of my imagination time. In this small, self-selected population, I find this association entertaining.

Now if I were in marketing and wanted to target my Prius sales, I would probably look at aviation and space oriented publications: NASA Tech Briefs and popular aviation magazines. I suspect the readers of these publications are the folks whose minds are most open to the Prius innovation. Overseas, I suspect there may be a huge, untapped market in the former Soviet Union who were as 'space mad' as we were. In fact, targeted advertisements in space and aviation publications in non-USA countries that have so far been resistant such as the EU, former Soviet Union and others might also work.

. . .

You'll notice there is a nice up-tick in the 25-30 year old group ... Gen-Y? There is hope for our species, yet.

Bob Wilson

[patsparks]

That graph explains why my 50+ boss who drives a Landcruiser doesn't get my buying a hybrid. He still seems to think I want to force him into a hybrid or something. Gets quite hostile at times too.

[SureValla]

As a member of gen Y I often find everyone including those of my own generation has no idea how a prius works.

I've had the experience of driving someone in my car of my age who after 10 asks the question: "Wait is this a hybrid?"

so sorry Bob I'm not sure there is hope yet.

[The Electric Me]

Totally unscientific, but I agree with this study. I think I could of told anyone that wanted to know this.

I'm early forties, and I work with some younger 20's mid 20's people and my observation is they are in general much more receptive and open to the idea of Hybrids and Electrics. First of all, exposure to them is not "new". Thanks to automobiles like The Prius, most of them have grown up at least knowing of their existence. 2ndly, they come from a more ecologically concious generation than mine (in general) they are used to recycling, hearing about global warming, the ozone layer, they also have grown up with these realities as part of their lives. Finally, I also think they grew up with parents with usually more efficient ICE cars. Or at least ICE engines that were computer controlled with fuel injection and the like, which means this new generation did not typically grow up with a parent peering under the hood of a V8. Cars of the 60,s 70's and even early 80's were in many ways much more basic, which led to people being more hands on. Fortunately or unfortunately cars today just aren't really designed that way. So I think that makes this generation more open to the idea of a "hands off" rechargeable car or a dealer only maintenance Hybrid.

A lot of the young people I deal with love the idea of a full electric or a hybrid, just most of them can't afford one. But as they age and their income (hopefully) increases? I think many of them will look at what we today consider "alternative" automobiles as simply a better choice.

[Rybold]

Has Toyota been marketing to the wrong crowd? No, because there is a backlog of orders for the Prius. BUT... could Toyota be marketing to a crowd that demands hybrids even more? Certainly (or, perhaps). The price of the Prius is in the mid-20s to upper-20s. For those in Generation-Y that buy new cars, they tend to buy cars like the Yaris and Civic. Why? Price. (otherwise, they would all be driving Scion tCs, but they aren't). If Toyota wants to earn customers today that will be buying new cars ten years from now, they need Gen-Y, and they need hybrid Yarises for under $20K. Why sell $30K cars to Baby Boomers that will croak in ten years (exaggerated), when you can sell to teenagers and college students that will be buying more and more Toyotas for decades and decades to come? (is that where Cadillac made their mistake? Eight years ago, Cadillac was headed for the coffin with the seniors. So, they changed the course of their styling direction to appeal to Baby Boomers. But they didn't change enough. Mistake. I hope Toyota learns from watching Cadillac) When you hear the phrase "customers for life," you should consider how much life is left on the customers in your target audience. Case in point: Cadillac versus Scion.

[ShellyT]

My father owns a Scion.
In fact, most of the first Scions I saw on the road were 40+.