TrueCar.com: Foreign Brands Appeal Most to Generation Y

TrueCar.com wanted to get a better understanding of the youngest demographic of vehicle buyers — consumers ages 18 to 27 — better known as Generation Y.

What brand vehicles should dealers stock so they can reel in these young purchasers? Of the top 10 that site analysts listed, not one was a domestic badge.

According to TrueCar.com’s analysis, the top nameplates that pique Generation Y’s interest the most are Scion, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

Of all Scion buyers, the site found 21.2 percent fell into Generation Y. For Mitsubishi, young consumers made up 20.3 percent, and Mazda’s level came in at 10.7 percent.

Analysts explained they reviewed the purchasing behavior of more than 4 million vehicle buyers from 2009 and 2010 to arrive at their results. 

"Generation Y buyers are very important to automakers because they help set trends from popularizing social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter or technologies such as the iPhone and iPod,” explained Jesse Toprak, vice president of trends and analysis at TrueCar.com.

“It’s also important for an automaker to get a young buyer into their vehicle from the beginning in hopes of continued loyalty to the brand,” Toprak continued.

Digging further into the data, TrueCar.com compiled a list of the top models by Generation Y buyers purchased in 2009 and 2010 by percentage of purchasers ages 18 to 27.

Topping the list of units were models that offer the most amount of customization, such as the Scion tC, Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Civic Si.

“Generation Y buyers want vehicles that look distinct and can be tailored to their individual tastes” noted Kristen Andersson, automotive analyst for TrueCar.com.

“Buyers from this generation are also looking for vehicles that have the technology features they are accustomed to built into the vehicle at an affordable price,” Andersson added.