NEW YORK -

Car sales have rebounded quite strongly from the downturn in years past, and apparently, ample opportunities for the American auto business remain.

Scarborough Research discovered through a recent study that 7 percent of U.S. households are looking to buy a new vehicle in the next year, which would mean 8 million households entering the market.

In the study, the firm shared what opportunities there are for Big 3 brands, in particular. It noted that close to two-thirds (65 percent) of American households own a vehicle from the Big 3 and about half (46 percent) of these bought that domestic ride as a new vehicle.

“By pinpointing American households that already own domestic vehicles they purchased new, Scarborough uncovers potential opportunity,” the firm suggested. “U.S. automakers can find ideal prospective new buyers in households with an established buying history of domestic vehicles.

“Additionally, 42 percent of American households that own domestic new vehicles either plan to purchase a new vehicle in the next 12 months or already own a domestic vehicle which was purchased new in model year 2000 or earlier — representing purchase opportunity,” it added.

Breaking down the 46 percent of domestic vehicle households that bought the car new, 10 percent are looking to buy another new ride within the next 12 months, and 35 percent have a purchased-as-new vehicle that is from model-year 2000 or before.

“This automotive study further explores the domestic new vehicle owner revealing where they can be reached and identifying activities and issues that are important to them," explained Brian Condon, executive vice president of commercial development for Scarborough.

“By understanding the domestic new vehicle owners, manufacturers, dealers, media companies and marketers can capitalize on these prospective consumers and convert them into domestic new vehicle sales this coming year,” he added.

So what else did Scarborough find out about what it calls DNVOs?

More than a third (35 percent) are on the Web for at least 10 hours each week. The study discovered that 16 percent of the DNVOs using the Web have utilized the Internet in the past 30 days for car research.

These consumers also tend to buy vehicles close to where they live. In fact, 62 percent traveled 20 miles or less to make the purchase.

They lean toward larger vehicles, as 34 percent owned trucks and 31 percent owned SUV/special purpose vehicles.

“Trucks and SUVs far outnumbered all other model types despite high prices at the pump,” the firm pointed out. “American consumers still desire the utilitarianism of larger vehicles, though this preference is more prevalent for households with an annual income of $50,000 or more.”

The market where domestic new-vehicle households are most prevalent is Detroit (49 percent), followed by Flint, Mich. (42 percent) and St. Louis (40 percent), respectively.

Rounding out the top five were Buffalo and San Antonio (both at 37 percent).

More of these findings can be accessed through Scarborough’s study, which can be found at http://www.scarborough.com/FreeStudies.php.