Half of Consumers Don’t Care Where Their Car is Built, Study Shows

A study conducted by automotive research firm Autolist has found that a small majority of consumers don’t care if their vehicle was made domestically.  Earlier this month, Autolist asked 1,264 car shoppers if where a vehicle was built was important to them. Of those surveyed, 53 percent said it did not matter to them, while another 8 percent said they were undecided. The remaining 39 percent said it did matter to them where a vehicle was built, which is still a significant portion, but perhaps less than many might think.

Additionally, 49 percent of those surveyed said that if a vehicle was built in China, it would have zero impact on their buying decision. Another 30 percent said it would have “some” impact on the decision, while another 21 percent said they were unsure. Concerns about build quality were the most often cited concerns about vehicles built in China, with 26 percent citing this as their potential number one issue with such vehicles. Another 20 percent were concerned about the impact on the US job market, while 14 percent said they were concerned about the reliability of such vehicles.

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Many consumers were unaware which vehicles were built China, with just 51 percent saying they were aware that Volvo, General Motors and Ford build some vehicles for US consumption there. The remaining 49 percent said they were aware of such practices.

Vehicles sold in North America that are built in China include the Buick Envision, the new Ford Focus and the Volvo XC40, among more. Vehicles bound for North America will likely be built in China in larger numbers going forward as technology such as semi-autonomous systems and hybrid powertrains injects added cost and complexity into cars and adds to automakers’ already shrinking overhead.

[Source: Autolist]