Topic: trends
Navigate sneak peek: Luxury buyers are 2.6x more likely to be buying their first vehicle ever
Our Director of Consumer Insights, Madison Gross, provides a sneak peek into her research on today’s car-buying audience, which she’ll be sharing in-depth at Navigate in October.
Luxury vehicle sales have been consistently posting strong growth, and it turns out much of that growth may be attributed to first-time buyers, according to findings from the 2019 CarGurus Buyer Insights Report. About three in ten luxury car buyers said that before their most recent purchase, they had never bought a car.
Remember the headlines a few years back that Millennials were delaying buying a car? It seems that now that they’re ready to buy, they don’t want just any car, but rather an aspirational one. Our research found that first-time buyers in luxury are, on average, 29 years old. Additionally, among first-time buyers in luxury:
CPO buyers are especially pragmatic when it comes to car shopping, according to CarGurus research
When it comes to researching and buying a car, CPO buyers are all about being informed and getting their questions answered before making a decision, according to the 2019 CarGurus Buyer Insights Report. They spend hours researching and comparing their options, relying on online resources and experts to give them the confidence they need to purchase a vehicle.
Industry Pulse: Could forgiveness of student loans lead to a new peak in new and CPO vehicle sales?
Our Director of Automotive Industry and Economic Analysis, George Augustaitis, provides insight into how forgiveness of student loans could impact vehicle sales in the US.
Debt continues to increase while wages lag, and many Americans struggle to purchase a new car. In fact, affordability represents the most severe headwind causing the decline in vehicle sales, which are down 2.0% calendar year to date (CYTD) 2019.
A recent survey from Bankrate finds that 58% of Millennials and 56% of all Americans lose sleep over money troubles. Today, 40% of Millennials earn at least half their income from a side hustle. Millennials are the largest living adult generation as of 2019, and they represent a key demographic in the success of the new and certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle market. However, an increasing number of Millennials indicate that cost pushes them away from purchasing a new vehicle. Knowing this, increasing Millennial disposable income would lead to a rise in the new-vehicle market.
For Millennials, student loans represent the primary reason for their low disposable income. An estimated 44.7 million people in the US have student debt, which amounts to 1 in 4 Americans. With the estimated student debt at $1.49 trillion and the average monthly payment at $393, the increasing amount of student debt shapes affordability significantly more than wages, housing costs, and the rising price of vehicles.
Automotive News on the impact of the dearth of recession-era vehicles
Because of the new-vehicle sales slowdown during the Great Recession, finding affordable used-vehicle inventory has been a challenge for today’s dealers. Automotive News dug into CarGurus analysis to offer insight into the impact on the current car-buying market. Check out the full article:
Consumers still don’t know how to protect their data in connected cars
For many drivers, getting in the car follows a routine: use a key fob to unlock the car door, get into the driver’s seat, connect a smartphone to the car’s infotainment system, and then drive off. Yet, when tested on their knowledge of connected vehicle security, consumers were wrong on half the answers, scoring a failing average of 49%.
Industry Pulse: it’s more than just tax cuts impacting the used vehicle market
At CarGurus, we’re always looking for ways to share more industry insights with our valued dealers. Today, our Director of Automotive Industry and Economic Analysis, George Augustaitis, takes a look at how tax cuts and dwindling inventory are affecting the used car market.
The IRS started to release information on tax returns in the first week of February. As the data from the IRS changed over time, the media released weekly headlines, whipping back and forth between negative and positive:
“Here’s why the average tax refund check is down 16% from last year”
“After a slow start, tax refunds are ticking up…”
“Tax refunds are up from last year…”
“About 8 million individuals who received a refund last year may owe this time”
To date, the IRS has reported filings through the week ending May 10, 2019, and at first glance, the average refund is down 1.7%.
While the key metrics—total number of refunds, amount of money issued, and average refund—show a negative story, refunds alone aren’t the factor driving change in used car sales in the US.
Consumer excitement about self-driving cars is growing, according to CarGurus survey
For the second year in a row, CarGurus surveyed consumers to get a pulse on their feelings toward self-driving cars. While most aren’t ready for them to be the status quo, the survey found that consumer sentiment is changing fast, with enthusiasm rapidly replacing skepticism. Overall, the survey found:
Pickup truck owners feeling the pinch of rising prices, CarGurus survey finds
Last month, CarGurus checked in with current and former pickup truck owners for the second year in a row to see if their attitudes toward the category, its brands, and their vehicles have changed. Overall, the survey uncovered that brand loyalty among pickup truck owners is beginning to decrease compared to one year ago. This becomes especially true when truck owners are asked about their brand loyalty in conjunction with increased prices. The survey results were as follows:
Car shoppers not ready for EVs, CarGurus survey finds
With established automakers like Mercedes-Benz and newcomers like Byton announcing electric vehicles (EVs) at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, CarGurus conducted a survey to learn more about consumers’ thoughts and experiences with EVs.
Interestingly, we found that while 64% of shoppers are excited about the prospect of saving money on fuel with an EV, 65% are concerned about how expensive they are. This interest suggests a “wait and see approach,” with 15% of respondents noting they would probably or definitely own an EV in the next 5 years, and 34% noting the same over the next 10.
See how used car prices change over time with CarGurus’ Price Trends tool
Whether you need help pricing your inventory or you’re looking for insight into what cars to stock, CarGurus can help! We track the prices of millions of used cars and make the data available in our Price Trends tool. Use it to identify seasonal trends, look up average used car prices, or find out which makes and models best hold their value over time.