Toyota and Ford better positioned to offer advanced fuel technologies: Survey

TORONTO , Jan. 27 /CNW/ - Toyota and Ford top the list of leading automotive manufacturers that Canadian consumers see as being best positioned to offer vehicles with advanced fuel technologies, such as hybrid and bio-fuel powered vehicles.

A recent study from TNS Canadian Facts suggests that while Toyota dominates the hybrid market in terms of perceived market-readiness, Ford and Honda are also regarded as being strongly positioned and competitive in their ability to deliver vehicles driven by hybrid technology.

By contrast, the bio-fuelled market is quite flat. Each of Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet/GM is regarded as being equally well-positioned to move forward and offer emerging bio-fuelled technology. Honda, which is the only other competitor of note in this market, trails the other three car makers slightly in consumers' minds.

Perceptions of market-readiness for the delivery of fully electric vehicles are not measurably different, with Toyota leading, followed closely by Chevrolet/GM, Honda and Ford. All are regarded as having comparable strength in their ability to deliver these emerging fuel technologies.

The TNS Automotive Eco-Friendly Technology study also shows that interest in alternate fuel technologies has been building slowly in recent years. In 2006, 51 per cent of new vehicle intenders were likely to consider a hybrid vehicle, compared to virtually the same numbers (52 per cent) in 2009, showing no change in broad interest and possible uptake over the past three years. That said, a fundamental shift is evident in the level of firm commitment to hybrid technologies, now sitting at 23 per cent, compared to 17 per cent in 2006, which perhaps reflects a growing interest in green living and sustainability.

"Market leaders Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet/GM and Honda are well-positioned to capitalize on consumers' growing commitment to hybrid vehicles," said Margot Acton , vice-president of TNS Canadian Facts and director of the marketing research firm's automotive research.

"They all have solid equity in this market on which to build measurable growth in retail sales over the next few years."

For the study, a national sample of Canadian adults was randomly selected from TNS Canadian Facts' Internet research panel and invited to complete an online survey. In total, 1,477 consumers completed the questionnaire between December 8 and 16, 2009. Of this number, 821 were classified as "new vehicle intenders" - consumers who said they planned to purchase a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The survey data were weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the Canadian population aged 18 years and older.

TNS Canadian Facts (www.tns-cf.com) is one of Canada's most prestigious full-service marketing, opinion and social research organizations.

About TNS

TNS, who recently merged with Research International, is the world's largest custom research agency delivering actionable insights and research-based business advice to its clients so they can make more effective business decisions. TNS offers comprehensive industry knowledge within the Consumer, Technology, Finance, Automotive and Political & Social sectors, supported by a unique product offering that stretches across the entire range of marketing and business issues, specializing in product development & innovation, brand & communication, stakeholder management, retail & shopper, and qualitative research. Delivering best-in-class service across more than 70 countries, TNS is part of the Kantar Group. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.

About Kantar

Kantar is one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of its 13 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 95 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.

For further information: Media Contacts: Margot Acton, Vice President, Tel: [phone], e-mail: [email protected]; David Stark, Vice President, Public Affairs, Tel: [phone] x238, e-mail: [email protected]