Hybrid car owners are some of the most loyal in the US market, with nearly half purchasing a vehicle of the same make when they buy another car, according to a study by an automotive data company.
Forty-seven per cent of hybrid buyers buy a vehicle of the same make, compared with 35 per cent of buyers overall, according to Experian Automotive, a division of global information provider Experian, whose North American headquarters are in Costa Mesa, California.
Eighteen per cent of hybrid car buyers even buy the same model, compared with 12 per cent overall.
Scott Waldron, president of Experian Automotive, said the results show hybrid manufacturers have a clear advantage in attracting and maintaining customers. That's critical, since overall loyalty to car companies has been steadily slipping over the last decade. One percentage point in loyalty can transfer to thousands of sales, he said.
Toyota Prius owners were the most loyal to the vehicle model among hybrid buyers, with 25 per cent returning to buy another Prius.
Toyota Motor Corp's hybrid owners also were the most loyal when it came to staying with the Toyota make. Fifty-one per cent chose another Toyota, compared with the Toyota make's overall loyalty rate of 44 per cent.
Full-size pickup truck buyers remained the most loyal in terms of choosing a new vehicle from the same segment, even if it wasn't from the same manufacturer, according to the study.
Thirty-three per cent of pickup buyers chose another full-size pickup, while 25 per cent of hybrid car buyers bought another hybrid. The average loyalty rate within a segment was 21 per cent.
Experian examined US vehicle sales from January 2007 to March 2008 for the study. The company said hybrids are the fastest-growing segment on the market, up 130 per cent from 2005 through the first six months of this year.
