Nashville, TN — 01/15/2013 — Dataium, the largest aggregator of online automotive shopper behavior, today released its monthly Automotive Shopper Intensity (ASI™) report. The ASI index, a leading predictive indicator of automotive retail sales, was relatively flat in December, up by a mere 0.39%, indicating a slowdown in January. Based on this, Dataium forecasts the US Retail SAAR in January to be 12.2 million retail units.
Dataium ASI % Change vs. US Retail SAAR % Change
For a second straight month, shopping intensity for mid-size sedans remained high, with three models within the segment ranking highest in ASI for new vehicles. The report identifies intensifying interest for the Honda Accord, which rose from 9th place in December, to rank highest in new vehicle ASI this month. However, the Accord faces strong competition in the New Year from the Hyundai Sonata, which, for the second month in a row, exhibited one of the largest month over month increases in its segment, and ranked second in ASI for new vehicles.
With regards to makes, Toyota continues to outperform both the domestic and import brands alike, with three models: the Camry, Tacoma and Tundra included in the top ten new vehicle ranking for three straight months. However, overall intensity around the brand has gradually declined, with each model dropping a spot or two in the ASI ranking since November.
Dataium ASI – New Vehicle Ranking
A notable entry to the top ten ASI new vehicle ranking was the popular compact sedan from Hyundai, the Elantra. For the past two months, the Elantra has outperformed much of the competition in the compact segment in terms of shopping intensity. The ASI report also indicates that despite a slight bump in shopper interest owing to a recent redesign, the Nissan Sentra still trails other compacts within the segment.
Month over Month ASI % Change – Compact Sedan
Eric Brown, CEO of Dataium noted, “It wasn’t a fiscal cliff but the market did slow.” He added “However, the mitigation is consistent with past holiday incentives and clearance sales hangovers.”
Dataium provides data and research on auto shopper/buyer behavior nationally, and by specific makes, models, vehicle segments, and markets. The index has been proven to be very accurate in predicting future trends, consumer intent and desire, along with new model entry success or failure. The national ASI report is available for download at www.dataium.com/library. Dataium reports and dashboards are available on a subscription basis or may be customized to access real-time updates to measure in-market behavior, sales forecasting, advertising effectiveness, digital marketing performance, and website design proficiency.
To request complete access to Dataium’s ASI predictive modeling tool on future consumer demand by make, model, trim level, segment, region, and market, contact Dataium at www.dataium.com/contact.
About Dataium, LLC
Dataium is the largest aggregator of Internet automotive shopping activity. With its Cloud Intelligence® platform, the company collects, analyzes, and indexes billions of online automotive shopping events from over 20 million active auto shoppers monthly. The company supports cutting-edge data collection and reporting technology; VisiCogn® Knowledge Center, and is also known for its ASI™ index. For more information, visit www.dataium.com, email: info@dataium.com, or call 877-896-DATA (3282).
