Upmarket Motorists

Much more likely to be 4x4 owners and willing to spend despite the credit crunch. Upmarket Motorists investigates the relationship of specialist magazine readers and website users with their cars.

Cars are integral to the lives of our upmarket motorists. They tend to live in multiple car households and have a preference for luxury marques. Their cars tend to be newer than the average car on the road with 1 in 5 owning a car that is less than 2 years old – 3 times higher than the national average. They have a preference for new cars and will spend an average of £21,605 on one.

A key feature amongst our leisure enthusiasts is the importance of 4x4s. Almost half of our readers or users own one compared to the national average of just 3%! They don’t use them as ‘Chelsea tractors’ either – their towing and off road functionalities are hugely important to them. They don’t feel guilty about owning a 4x4 as they simply can’t do without it and the negative press surrounding them won’t affect their next purchase.

The credit crunch has not put our readers off buying a new car; indeed many of them are taking advantage of special offers and are continuing to spend. These are just some of the findings from Upmarket Motorists which explores upmarket adult’s car ownership, purchase behaviour and future plans.

An online survey was conducted in March 2009 and respondents were recruited using IPC’s database of contacts as well as our websites and e-newsletters. The survey achieved a sample size of almost 6,500 adults who regularly interact with one of 17 Inspire brands. Upmarket Motorists has demonstrated the attractive nature of Inspire readers as they are wealthy and discerning when it comes to car purchase.

Upmarket Motorists examined the following about regular Inspire brand users:

i) Car Ownership

* Most popular types of cars and makes owned
* Their love of car accessories
* Frequency of car replacement and spend on new cars
* Source of purchase and how far they’re prepared to travel to buy

ii) The Importance of 4x4s

* Uses they put their 4x4 to apart from general family use
* Types of 4x4 owned
* Feelings towards negative press

iii) Usage and the Environment

* How concerned they are about pollution
* Changes they would consider making to help the environment

iv) Purchasing Behaviour

* Important factors when purchasing a new car
* What their main influencers are when deciding which car to buy
* A look at the car buying process

v) Advertising

* Which media is the most engaging for car advertising
* Important elements in a car advert
* Recall of car manufacturers sponsoring sports events

vi) Impact of the Credit Crunch and Future Outlook

* Impact of the credit crunch on the UK car market
* Impact on our readers plans to purchase

For more information on the above please contact:

Kathy Simonovitch, Senior Insight Executive 0203 148 4622 kathy_simonovitch@ipcmedia.com