Detroit Auto Show Buzz: Chrysler 300 Piques Interest of Edmunds.com Visitors

Detroit Auto Show Buzz: Chrysler 300 Piques Interest of Edmunds.com Visitors

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — January 24, 2011 — Purchase consideration for the Chrysler 300 nearly doubled after the automaker unveiled its redesigned model at this month's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, according to online statistics released today by Edmunds.com. On January 11 — the day after the Chrysler 300 was showcased to media in the Motor City —16.9 percent of shoppers researching vehicles in the "large car" segment checked out the 300. Just one week earlier, consideration for the model was at 8.2 percent. The surge of interest came in a week where excitement surrounding the Detroit Auto Show boosted overall traffic to Edmunds.com. During the week of January 9th, the site enjoyed its highest visitor levels since August 2010.

Two luxury car brands also enjoyed an uptick in consideration on Edmunds.com. After the auto show kicked off, 13.6 percent of shoppers researching vehicles in the "midrange luxury car" segment looked at the Audi A6, up from a low of 7.9% earlier this month. The BMW 6 Series, meanwhile, peaked at 12.7% consideration within the "premium sport car" segment after seeing levels around 8.0% the previous week.

Edmunds.com visitors also took notice of the new Volkswagen Passat, which made news last week when it was announced that the newly redesigned model would have better fuel economy and a lower starting price. On the day it was revealed to media, the Passat climbed to 6.2% consideration in the "midsize car" segment from a low of 3.3% the previous week.

But according to Edmunds' AutoObserver.com contributor Mark Holthoff's "Word on the Street" analysis of consumer comments on Edmunds' Forums and InsideLine.com, the increased attention to the Passat wasn't necessarily positive; initial reviews found the redesign "boring," "bland" and "snoretastic." "Word on the street" can be found at http://www.autoobserver.com.

Earning more praise from online users were new offerings from Buick and Hyundai. Holthoff reports that the Buick Verano saw more user comments than any other new car unveiled at the Detroit auto show and enjoyed praise for its "nice luxurious interior" and its $22,500 base price. The Hyundai Veloster, meanwhile, earned the most enthusiastic comments, with visitors calling it "sexy and unique" and "more like what the [Honda] CR-Z should have been." Admiration for the two new cars, however, did little to move the needle of purchase interest. Consideration for the Veloster in the "compact car" segment climbed only slightly to 1.0%, while consideration for the Verano in the same segment remained flat at 0.6%.

Edmunds.com defines consideration as the volume of site visitors who view content (pricing, reviews, specifications, photos, etc.) about a specific new vehicle, expressed as a percentage of traffic for similar content about all new vehicles within the same market segment. "Consideration" is a valuable metric for measuring the automaker's marketing effectiveness.

About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)

Edmunds publishes Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site and hosts the most established automotive community online. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.