2019 Car Dealership Market Survey Report | Automotive Industry Statistics & Analysis

Drive Research, a national automotive market research company, recently commissioned our 1st Annual 2019 Dealership Study for Central New York (CNY). This type of research is unprecedented in the Syracuse-region and does not exist on a relevant local audience like this for any dealership.

With this 2019 car dealership market survey, we set out to answer car dealership’s most challenging business questions including:

• How do car buyers budget for their next vehicle purchase or lease?
• What is the most common budget for car buyers?
• How far are customers willing to travel to a dealership for a purchase or lease?
• What are the sources used by those shopping for a new or used vehicle?
• What factors matter the most for a customer’s next vehicle purchase of lease?

The feedback to this survey allowed local dealerships to understand local consumer buying trends, marketing ROI, community perception, and much more. We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing this study in 2020 and well into the future. As additional years of data are gathered the data proves even more valuable for local dealers because of the ability to weigh return on investment (ROI) for marketing dollars spent.

While we call Upstate New York our home, Drive Research is a market research firm servicing markets all across the country. This car dealership market study can be replicated for any other dealership or market area in the United States. The results from a study such as this is sure to increase brand equity and drive sales forward at your dealership. In this blog post we will provide insight into the objectives, approach, questions, and results of the 2019 car dealership market survey report for CNY.

Download the 2019 Car Dealership Report, here.

Drive Research recently completed our 1st Annual 2019 CNY Dealership Study to help local car dealers answer their most challenging business questions and drive sales forward.


Car Dealership Market Study Objectives

The goal of the market research survey was to provide buying dealerships with comprehensive data on most recent vehicle purchases, budgeting behavior, likelihood to recommend dealers, drivers to satisfaction and dissatisfaction with dealers, familiarity with dealers, perception of dealers, brand associations of dealers, sources used for shopping for a vehicle, factors which matter most when purchasing, and distance consumers are willing to travel to purchase.


Car Dealership Market Study Approach

To address the objectives at-hand, Drive Research conducted an online survey with residents in the Syracuse designated market area (DMA). These counties included Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, and Tompkins.

The survey included 24 questions and took respondents an average of 8 to 10 minutes to complete. The survey received a total of 1,000 responses through a  combination of email lists and randomized paid social media shares in the Syracuse DMA. Fieldwork for the survey was conducted in the months of May and June of 2019.

The automotive market survey tested the top fifteen CNY car dealerships based on P12M DMA registrations via Polk pulled in February 2019:

• Bill Rapp
• Burdick
• Burritt Motors
• Carbone
• Davidson
• East Syracuse Chevrolet
• Fox
• Fuccillo
• Honda City
• Lamacchia Honda
• Maguire
• NYE
• Romano
• Summit
• Sun Chevrolet

Don’t see your name on the list? Interested in conducting a similar market study specific to your dealership? We can help. Contact us, here.


Survey Question Topics Included in the Car Dealership Market Study

• County of residence
• Sole or shared decision-maker for vehicle purchases in household
• Last time purchased/leased a vehicle for household
• Type of most recent vehicle purchased for household
• Deciding on budget for most recent vehicle purchase
• Monthly budget for most recent vehicle purchase
• Total budget for most recent vehicle purchase
• Dealer where most recent vehicle was purchased or leased
• Likelihood to recommend this dealer
• Explaining the rating for this dealer
• Familiarity with list of top 15 dealers
• Perception of dealers familiar with
• Dealers most familiar with
• Word or phrases associated with each dealership
• Sources of information used when shopping for a new or used vehicle
• Main source of information when shopping for a new or used vehicle
• When the next vehicle will be purchased or leased for the household
• Type of vehicle most likely to purchase next for household
• Vehicle classes most likely to consider
• Factors which matter most for the next vehicle purchase
• How long respondents are willing to travel for a deal on the next vehicle
• Age
• Number of people living in the household
• Primary ZIP Code of residence


Results from the 2019 Car Dealership Market Survey

The above questions helped CNY car dealerships understand how they stacked up against the competition in various aspects such as awareness, perception, usage, likelihood to recommend, and word associations.

Here are a few quick hits for the road!

  • 7 in 10 CNY residents who responded purchased or leased a vehicle in the past 3 years
  • One dealership ranked the highest awareness of 96% among CNY residents – where does your dealership rank?
  • A third of CNY residents are planning to purchase or lease a vehicle sometime in the next year
  • Over two-thirds of CNY residents would consider a specific type of vehicle for their next purchase or lease (68%) – what type of vehicle is most attractive to respondents?
  • When residents think about their next vehicle, 3 factors mattered more than fuel economy to CNY residents – what are they?
  • The total net promoter score (NPS) for all dealerships combined was +29 – what dealerships ranked where?

Buyers of the CNY Dealership Report gained the inside track to learn about how their target customers will shop, what will impact their choice, and how to make their dealership stand out from the pack. Specifically from a marketing perspective, dealerships were also able to understand how far their advertising dollar can be stretched (30 miles, 60 miles, or more?).

The CNY Dealership report provided a custom target market area for dealerships to see what areas inside and outside of Central New York their advertising would be most effective based on likely buyers.


Car Dealership Market Study Report

The 2019 CNY Car Dealership Report was customized for each purchasing dealership. The comprehensive report included a background and methodology and a full breakdown of the results by all 1,000 Central New York respondents, their dealership, and other key demographic breakdowns and categories. It includes over 250 pages of detailed data on their specific dealership, competitive dealerships, and prospective buyers in the market.


Interested in a Car Dealership Survey for Your Market?

Drive Research is a national market research company specializing in the automotive industry. Our market research has no geographical bounds or limitations. Although this car dealership study was conducted for the Syracuse DMA, it can be replicated for any market or specific dealership in the United States.

Drive Research can conduct a car dealership market survey including but not limited to the following DMAs:

Alabama

  • Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa) DMA
  • Huntsville-Decatur (Florence) DMA
  • Mobile-Pensacola (Fort Walton Beach) DMA

Alaska

  • Fairbanks DMA
  • Juneau DMA

Arizona

  • Phoenix (Prescott) DMA
  • Tucson (Sierra Vista) DMA

Arkansas

  • Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers DMA
  • Little Rock-Pine Bluff DMA

California

  • Fresno-Visalia DMA
  • Eureka DMA
  • Los Angeles DMA
  • Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto DMA
  • San Diego DMA
  • San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose DMA

Colorado

  • Colorado Springs-Pueblo DMA
  • Denver DMA

Connecticut

  • Hartford DMA
  • New Haven DMA

Florida

  • Dayton DMA
  • Fort Myers-Naples DMA
  • Jacksonville DMA
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale DMA
  • Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne DMA
  • Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota) DMA
  • West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce DMA

Georgia

  • Atlanta DMA
  • Augusta-Aiken DMA
  • Savannah DMA
  • Tallahassee-Thomasville DMA

Hawaii

  • Honolulu DMA

Idaho

  • Boise DMA
  • Twins Falls DMA

Illinois

  • Champaign & Springfield-Decatur DMA
  • Chicago DMA
  • Davenport-Rock Island-Moline DMA
  • Peoria-Bloomington DMA
  • St. Louis DMA

Indiana

  • Fort Wayne DMA
  • Indianapolis DMA
  • South Bend-Elkhart DMA

Iowa

  • Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque DMA
  • Davenport-Rock Island-Moline DMA
  • Des Moines-Ames DMA

Kansas

  • Wichita-Hutchinson Plus DMA

Kentucky

  • Lexington DMA
  • Louisville DMA

Louisiana

  • Baton Rouge DMA
  • New Orleans DMA
  • Shreveport DMA

Maine

  • Presque Isle DMA

Maryland

  • Baltimore DMA
  • Portland-Auburn DMA
  • Washington, D.C. (Hagerstown) DMA

Massachusetts

  • Boston (Manchester) DMA
  • Springfield-Holyoke DMA

Michigan

  • Alpena DMA
  • Detroit DMA
  • Flint-Saginaw-Bay City DMA
  • Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek DMA
  • Lansing DMA
  • Marquette DMA

Minnesota

  • Mankato DMA
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul DMA

Mississippi

  • Jackson DMA
  • Meridian DMA

Missouri

  • Kansas City DMA
  • Springfield DMA
  • St. Joseph DMA

Montana

  • Glendive DMA
  • Great Falls DMA
  • Helena DMA

Nebraska

  • Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney DMA
  • North Platte DMA
  • Omaha DMA

Nevada

  • Las Vegas DMA
  • Reno DMA

New Mexico

  • Albuquerque-Santa Fe

New York

  • Albany-Schenectady-Troy DMA
  • Binghamton DMA
  • Burlington-Plattsburgh DMA
  • Buffalo DMA
  • Elmira DMA
  • Rochester DMA
  • Syracuse DMA
  • New York DMA
  • Utica DMA
  • Watertown DMA

North Carolina

  • Charlotte DMA
  • Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem DMA
  • Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville) DMA

Ohio

  • Cleveland-Akron (Canton) DMA
  • Cincinnati DMA
  • Columbus DMA
  • Lima DMA
  • Toledo DMA
  • Zanesville DMA

Oklahoma

  • Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers DMA
  • Oklahoma City DMA
  • Tulsa DMA
  • Oregon
  • Portland DMA

Pennsylvania

  • Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York DMA
  • Philadelphia DMA
  • Pittsburgh DMA
  • Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hazleton DMA

Rhode Island

  • Providence-New Bedford DMA

South Carolina

  • Augusta-Aiken DMA
  • Charleston DMA
  • Columbia DMA
  • Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson DMA
  • Myrtle Beach-Florence DMA

Tennessee

  • Chattanooga DMA
  • Knoxville DMA
  • Jackson DMA
  • Memphis DMA
  • Nashville DMA
  • Tri-Cities DMA

Texas

  • Austin, DMA
  • Dallas-Fort Worth DMA
  • El Paso (Las Cruces) DMA
  • Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen DMA
  • Houston DMA
  • San Angelo DMA
  • San Antonio DMA
  • Texarkana DMA
  • Victoria DMA
  • Waco-Temple-Bryan DMA

Utah

  • Salt Lake City DMA

Vermont

  • Burlington-Plattsburgh DMA

Virginia

  • Harrisonburg DMA
  • Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News DMA
  • Richmond-Petersburg DMA
  • Roanoke-Lynchburg DMA
  • Tri-Cities DMA

Washington

  • Seattle-Tacoma DMA
  • Spokane DMA

West Virginia

  • Charleston-Huntington

Wisconsin

  • Green Bay-Appleton DMA
  • Madison DMA
  • Milwaukee DMA

Wyoming

  • Casper-Riverton DMA
  • Cheyenne-Scottsbluff DMA

Don't see your market area on the list? Contact Drive Research to learn what market research services we can provide for your car dealership.


Contact Drive Research

Drive Research is a market research company located in Syracuse, NY. Our team has the knowledge and tools to design a robust market research study, should it be the right fit for your business.

Interested in learning more about our market research services? Reach out through any of the four ways below.

Message us on our website
Email us at [email protected]
Call us at 888-725-DATA
Text us at 315-303-2040

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