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Automotive Market Research & Auto Industry News
The latest automotive news and racing news along with statistics on automotive enthusiasts, automotive market segments, vehicle registration data, and basic search engine opimization (SEO) tips for automotive websites. Our automotive news feeds are updated 24 hours a day so feel free to bookmark this page. Click on a link to go to the original news source; a new browser window will open.
Today's Automotive Industry News
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AAIA members: Learn more about news affecting the automotive aftermarket industry in this week's Capital Report: Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am  This Week in Congress
California Bill Providing Prop 65 Relief Moves Ahead
Senate Committees Unanimously Approve USTR and C -More- Read more... |
3 questions all managers should ask Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am The author Ellis Avery asks certain questions when developing characters for her novels that can be appropriated for managers -More- Read more... |
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May AAIA Industry Indicators Report now available online Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am The Industry Indicators Report is a statistical compilation of key economic variables that are released each month by a varie -More- Read more... |
Start your engines with do-it-yourself car care Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am The Car Care Council has launched a video aimed to take the unknown out of auto-parts stores. -More- Read more... |
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Four for the Future: 2013 AAIA Impact Awards Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am Nominees are now being accepted for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association Impact Award: Four for the Future, which -More- Read more... |
New product attribute standard -- get 2 years for the price of one Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am The latest addition to the AAIA product information standards is the Product Attribute Database. -More- Read more... |
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Be sure your job-related physical tests are legal Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am Employers that require physical tests after offering a job must ensure these tests are not in violation of the Americans with -More- Read more... |
Economic and business confidence improves significantly among aftermarket business leaders Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am Results of the joint Business Confidence Index for April 2013 show that aftermarket business leaders were positive on the eco -More- Read more... |
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AAIA’s Green Video Series: Episode 5 released today Tuesday Jun 18 2013 5:33 am The aftermarket industry has always practiced sustainability, and has been "green" long before being "green" was mainstream. -More- Read more... |
Research and Markets: Auto Parts Manufacturing Industry in China 2012-2016 - Business Wire (press release) Monday Jun 17 2013 6:17 am  Research and Markets: Auto Parts Manufacturing Industry in China 2012-2016Business Wire (press release)The analysts forecast the Auto Parts Manufacturing industry in China to grow at a CAGR of 14.98 percent over the period 2012-2016. One of the key factors contributing to this growth is the increased Passenger Vehicle market in China. Auto Parts ... Read more... |
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Electric Vehicle Market Forecasts - PR Newswire (press release) Monday Jun 17 2013 3:59 am Electric Vehicle Market ForecastsPR Newswire (press release)While HEVs are largely accepted as a part of the automotive market in many regions, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) remain a new technology with challenges inherent in new markets. Nevertheless, Navigant Research forecasts that the PEV market will ... Read more... |
Automotive Lithium-ion Battery Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share ... - PR Web (press release) Monday Jun 17 2013 12:48 am Automotive Lithium-ion Battery Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share ...PR Web (press release)Researchmoz presents this most up-to-date research on Global Automotive Lithium-ion Battery Market 2011-2015. The report focuses primarily on quantitative market metrics in order to characterize the growth and evolution of the Automotive Lithium-ion ...and more » Read more... |
Definition: Automotive qualitative vs. quantitative research
Qualitative market research gives you a high level view. It is obtained from a small group of respondents and the data isn't analyzed with statistical techniques. A focus group is an example of qualitative research. A focus group may give you some answers but is often a starting point for quantitative research.Quantitative market research gives you details. It is obtained from a larger number of respondents and the data is analyzed using statistical methods. Quantitative research results are given using a margin of error.
Where enthusiasts get information to buy parts
Before buying products, enthusiasts (depending on market segment) rely on the following sources:
Enthusiast Web sites: 60%-85%
Internet search: 50%-75%
Manufacturer Web site: 50%-70%
Mail order catalog: 40%-65%
Chain automotive store: 30%-50%
Friend/relative: 30%-50%
Social media (Facebook, etc.): 2%-15%
Personal vehicles registered in the United States
There are 254,000,000 vehicles registered for personal use in 117,538,000 households (2010 US Census Department data).
Automotive direct mail response rates
Rented mailing lists response rates are typically 0.5% to 1.0%, sometimes as high as 1.5%.House file response rates are typically 1.0% to 10%, sometimes as high as 15% to 20%.
Automotive email delivery, open and click-through rates
Rented email list delivery rates should be 95% or more. Open rates can range from 2% to 5% depending on subject line. Click-through rates are typically 0.25% to 0.50%, sometimes as high as 0.75%. Repeat emails can increase the response rate of a second email by 50%.
House file email delivery rates should be 98% to 100%. Open rates should range from 15% to 20% or more. Click-through rates are typically 1.0% to 3.0%, sometimes as high as 5% to 8%.
Automotive enthusiast buying cycle
Many enthusiasts will take time before buying. Here is the length of time between when an enthusiast decides to buy a part, and when it is actually purchased (depending on market segment):
1 day: 5%
Less than one week: 30%-35%
1 week: 18%-25%
2 weeks: 20%-25%
3-4 weeks: 10%-17%
1 month or longer: 5%-10%
Definition: Margin of error
When reporting results for quantitative research, margin of error is used to describe the amount of random sampling error in the data. All margins of error are based on a confidence level. All Hedges & Company research uses a 95% confidence level which means if a survey were repeated in identical conditions, 95 times out of 100 the results would always be within the margin of error.Margin of error examples
Automotive parts retailers: 381 responses are required for a margin of error +/-5%. 469 responses are required for a margin of error of +/-4.5%. 769 responses are required for a margin of error of +/-3.5%.
Automotive enthusiast consumers: 385 responses are required for a margin of error +/-5%. 475 required for +/-4.5%. 1,067 required for +/-3%.
Annual spending on auto parts and accessories
There is a big range of investment in the hobby. Here is the amount of money spent each year by enthusiasts on automotive performance parts and accessories (depending on market segment):
$10,001+ per year: 10%-15%
$7,501-$10,000: 5%-10%
$5,001-$7,500: 15%-20%
$2,501-$5,000: 25%-35%
$1,000-$2,500: 20%-30%
Less than $1,000: 10%-15%
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the importance of metadata and content
When designing a web site for search engine optimization for the automotive market, pay close attention to the following elements on your page.
Metadata in <head> section:
Page title <title>Title here</title>
Page description <meta name="description" content="Description here" />
Content in <body> section:
Content rich in words relevant to your page's main subject.
Headline tags <h1>Main headline here</h1> (ideally just one h1 per page) and <h2>Subheads here</h2>
Make the most important words bold using <strong></strong> tags.
Add alt tags to images that reflect the page topic using the code alt="Alt tag here" wtihin your <img src="/image.gif"/> tags.
Size of market segments
Here are the approximate size of various market segments in the automotive specialty equipment market. Due to extensive crossover between segments and enthusiasts owning multiple vehicles, this adds up to more than 100%.
Street performance: 70%
Truck/SUV: 55%
Passenger car: 45%
Restoration: 35%
Compact performance: 30%
Racing: 30%
Street rod/custom: 25%
Off-road: 20%