EUROPEAN CAR BUYERS BECOMING MORE COST CONSCIOUS

The demand for hybrid vehicles and inexpensive fuel-saving cars will increase considerably in the next five years. This is the result of a KPMG survey (www.kpmg.de) carried out among 140 top managers of international car manufacturers and suppliers. In the opinion of 84% of those interviewed, the fuel consumption of a car is the second most important purchase criterion, just after quality.

Over half of those interviewed (57%) state that “alternative drives” are an important purchase criterion. Three years ago, this figure was only 41%. In the opinion of 88% of experts the vehicles most likely to increase their market share are those with a hybrid drive and inexpensive models that use less fuel.