Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Have you noticed regional preferences for specific car-makes among car-buying public in the USA? For instance, I know people in Michigan, and around Detroit in particular, mostly buy domestic. Similarly, when I visited Seattle, it was hard to see any domestic vehicles other than pick-ups/large SUVs. Tons of Japanese cars though.
So are there more such trends? Do/did some areas prefer Fords over Chevrolet, and vice-versa? Where do/did people buy more Mopars? Any preference of Honda over Toyota, etc?
I buy cars for a living. It is indeed a very regional thing. Here, the Suburban, Tahoe, Full sized Pickup are still king. The state is about 1000 miles wide, so space is not an issue. Many urban markets favor smaller imported cars. I have friends who make their entire living off of buying in one market and selling in another.
I can't speak to lately but it used to be even Detroit neighborhoods leaned heavily towards one brand or another. East side was Chevrolet, west was Ford. Makes sense given the locations of the comapny headquarters. Way back then Chrysler headquarters was in Detroit so I didn't sense as much of a grouping.
I've heard St. Louis was a big Mopar town.
California is almost exclusively Japanese & German cars. Hyundai & Kia becoming a little more popular lately. Only American cars on the road are usually rental cars. A LOT of luxury marques in general. Mercedes, BMW is just an average car, nothing to turn heads. A lot of RWD sports sedans.
Colorado-- About 50% American, 50% foreign cars. Subarus are extremely popular here, due to AWD. A lot of "cute utes" on the road.
Midwest-- Almost exclusively American cars depending on what specific region you're in.
I remember on a bus trip to Chicago entering Ohio and Indiana, domestics were rampant. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a Midwest thing since the domestics have factories in those areas. California is filled with imports from both Europe and Asia. I don't know the reason behind that. Subarus are popular in states where heavy snowfall occurred.
Here in the Deep South I don't really notice any make being dominant. GM, Toyota, and Ford seem to be the top three from what I can tell. Toyota and Nissan have nearly all of the small truck market.
I can't speak to lately but it used to be even Detroit neighborhoods leaned heavily towards one brand or another. East side was Chevrolet, west was Ford. Makes sense given the locations of the comapny headquarters. Way back then Chrysler headquarters was in Detroit so I didn't sense as much of a grouping.
I've heard St. Louis was a big Mopar town.
Interesting.
If the big three had their headquarters/assembly plants in different regions, say, in Detroit, Los Angeles and Houston, then there would have been even more of a preference one way or another.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,080,865 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by asubram3
Interesting.
If the big three had their headquarters/assembly plants in different regions, say, in Detroit, Los Angeles and Houston, then there would have been even more of a preference one way or another.
I actually think it has way more to do with the local dealers and a vehicles reputation.
In this area we have one of the worst Mopar dealers you can have.The dealership has been owned by the same thieving family since at least the early 40's .Poor dealer service plus a horrible service dept along with an inferior product and you get less of that brand in one area.
On the other hand,there are several GM & Ford dealers within an easy drive who will deal with you and whose service depts are high,but at least knowledgable and Ford and GM make a better product too,so this area is full of them.JMO
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.