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Americans: Carmakers are blind to their needs |
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Up to 76% of Americans think that automakers have ignored their preference for more fuel-efficient cars, shows a new study by the nonprofit Civil Society Institute, among many other interesting findings.
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2006-11-23
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More than three out of four Americans think that U.S. automakers have been blind to their consumer needs and tastes by focusing on fuel-inefficient vehicles, while European and Japanese automakers have improved their cars’ fuel efficiency.
An overwhelming 90% want carmakers to start selling at home fuel-efficient vehicles that they make or sell overseas but do not offer in the U.S.
These are two main results of a survey presented by the Civil Society Institute on 21 November.
Other key findings include the following:
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- 85% of Americans will support White House pressure on automakers for reducing “energy consumption and related global-warming pollution"
- 78% want President Bush to impose a 40 mile per gallon fuel efficiency standard for vehicles
- 70% will take “expected future gasoline price increases into consideration in thinking about buying a new vehicle”
- 45% are now more likely to buy a “hybrid or other fuel-efficient vehicle” than they were six months ago
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The survey was conducted among 1.016 adults across the United States.
Reactions
“These findings should be a real wake-up call to any auto executive in Detroit,” said Pam Solo, President of the Civil Society Institute. “What Americans are saying to American carmakers is that they are ready for change. We know the technology exists for higher fuel efficiency that will save money, and diminish the pollution linked to global warming,” he added.
Background
The Civil Society Institute is a nonprofit and non-partisan think tank. Since 2003, it has conducted more than a dozen surveys on vehicle fuel-efficiency standards and global warming.
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More information:
 News release Civil Society Institute (114 KB)
Summary of the CSI study "What Americans Think" (123 KB)
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