Despite Bankruptcy News, Consumer Interest in GM, Chrysler Cars Remains Steady on Cars.com
June 01 2009 - 10:34AM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite Chrysler's bankruptcy
challenges and a government-imposed deadline for GM to file for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, consumer interest in Chrysler and
GM cars has remained steady over the past year on automotive
shopping site Cars.com. As of April, searches for new and used GM
cars on Cars.com(1) were up more than 5 percent year over year, and
they've continued that trend throughout May. In addition to search
activity, more consumers have contacted dealers through Cars.com to
inquire about purchasing a GM car or truck this year than did last
year. Cars.com is seeing similar results for Chrysler models, which
saw steady levels of search activity and dealer contact through
April. Now, for May, the number of consumers contacting Chrysler
dealers has been rising. "Some of this could be attributed to
consumers who are out looking to take advantage of the hefty rebate
deals, but we have noticed that the trend has been pretty steady
for the past year," said Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen.
"The possibility of bankruptcy has been in front of consumers for
quite some time, and it appears that it hasn't deterred shoppers
from considering these cars as they return to the market."
According to a recent Cars.com survey, 59 percent of consumers said
the current economy and struggles of the American car manufacturers
will have no impact on whether or not their next car purchase will
be an American car. "The fact that consumer interest on Cars.com
has remained steady for both of these manufacturers is certainly
good news for them," Olsen said, "especially as consumer confidence
continues to rebound and these manufacturers begin to restructure
their debt and position themselves to be more competitive in the
future." About Cars.com Cars.com is the leading destination for
online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand
information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate
opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a
car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side
comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial
content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory,
Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping
process with the information they need to make confident buying
decisions. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of
Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media
companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI),
The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Company and The
Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). (1) Includes all GM nameplates
DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT: Jackie Brennan, Associate Public
Relations Manager, +1-312-601-6229, or mobile, +1-219-577-6106, ,
or Steve Nolan, Public Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, or
mobile, +1-630-310-2468, , both of Cars.com Web Site:
http://www.cars.com/
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