The price of fuel continues to be a worry for Australian motorists with a new survey finding new car buyers would rather have free fuel than extra safety features.
Conducted by leading automotive website www.carshowroom.com.au the national survey found 56 per cent of respondents would rather have $1,000 of free fuel than an extra $1,000 worth of safety features when purchasing their next new car. An upgraded audio system ranked a distant third in the responses.
For average private motorists living in major capital cities and using their car daily, $1,000 of fuel would keep them driving for almost three months.
“We asked respondents to tell us what value-added benefits would be most attractive when considering their next new car purchase and across all states and genders the choice was clear and that was $1,000 worth of free fuel,” explained Kellie Cordner, General Manager of Car Showroom.
Ms Cordner added that the dominant result showed ongoing angst among motorists regarding the spike in fuel prices and also sent a clear message to automotive retailers about future marketing tactics.
“Value-added programs are popular in automotive retailing and our national survey certainly gives a real clue as to what new car buyers are looking for,” she added.
Pain at the fuel bowser is not confined to motorists with petrol-powered cars as the price of diesel is now close to $1.30 per litre at many outlets – the increased price offsetting the hip pocket benefits of the extra fuel economy achieved by diesel-powered vehicles.
“At www.carshowroom.com.au new car buyers can discover many facts to assist their next new car purchase,” Ms Cordner said. “Our site allows you to check the fuel economy and compare against other new vehicles in the market, so you can easily judge which car would best suit your requirements and budget.”
*carshowroom.com.au poll, August 2008
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Lucinda Tippett, Sensis, ph: 03 8653 5836, mob: 0448 271 123
