The U.S. is a large, diverse country that includes different industries, multiple climates and terrains, etc. These geographic differences are important to take into consideration when purchasing inventory since they can determine what makes and models are popular in your region.
For example, a 4×4 may be more sought after in Montana while a convertible may be more popular in Miami or Los Angeles due to local industries or weather. In addition, certain areas are more likely to buy American made vehicles, such as a Ford F150, due to political beliefs. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the demographic of the area you plan to sell in, and cater your inventory towards this audience.
CarGurus recently conducted a study on over 900 million used car searches from the 2016 year and discovered that Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet topped the list as the most popular makes among consumers in the United States. The study also analyzed the top ten vehicles in five major metropolitan cities to see what brands appealed the most to these specific regions.
These cities include New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Interesting notes to consider is that across all of these metropolitan areas, Toyota ranked in the top three, and the luxury make BMW was the most popular in New York. In Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta, shoppers heavily favored Chevrolet brand vehicles, which all consisted of over 10% of the search traffic.
Here are the top 10 searched used cars in each metro area mentioned above, including percentage of overall search traffic via CarGurus.
New York
1. BMW 9.5%
2. Toyota 7.6%
3. Honda 7.6%
4. Ford 7.4%
5. Mercedes-Benz 7.3%
6. Chevrolet 6.1%
7. Nissan 5.6%
8. Jeep 4.6%
9. Audi 4.2%
10. Dodge 3.7%
Los Angeles
1. Toyota 9.4%
2. Chevrolet 9.0%
3. BMW 8.2%
4. Ford 8.2%
5. Mercedes-Benz 6.9%
6. Honda 6.4%
7. Nissan 4.6%
8. Dodge 4.3%
9. Lexus 4.2%
10. Audi 3.3%
Chicago
1. Chevrolet 11.3%
2. Ford 9.1%
3. Toyota 6.2%
4. BMW 6.1%
5. Mercedes-Benz 5.3%
6. Jeep 5.3%
7. Dodge 5.0%
8. Honda 4.7%
9. Nissan 4.6%
10. Audi 3.8%
Dallas
1. Chevrolet 12.7%
2. Ford 11.7%
3. Toyota 7.0%
4. Dodge 6.6%
5. BMW 5.5%
6. Mercedes-Benz 5.4%
7. Nissan 4.9%
8. Honda 4.3%
9. Jeep 3.9%
10. Lexus 3.7%
Atlanta
1. Chevrolet 10.2%
2. Ford 9.7%
3. Toyota 7.8%
4. BMW 7.1%
5. Mercedes-Benz
6.4% 6. Honda 5.5%
7. Nissan 5.4%
8. Dodge 5.2%
9. Lexus 4.0%
10. Jeep 4.1%
Utilizing search data is a powerful tool to gain key insights into the habits of online shoppers since the majority of consumers conduct research online to help them find a vehicle to their liking.
In addition, using this data to inform your purchases will ensure that your inventory mix is aligned with your customer’s preferences.
* This blog post was originally published on 01/26/2017 on dealercenter.com