Americans under 40 years of age are the most receptive to buying a Chinese automotive brand if it were offered in the U.S., despite high privacy concerns among all age groups, according to a new poll by auto marketing research and consulting firm AutoPacific.Â
The Long Beach, California firm reports that 45 percent of U.S. citizens under 40 say they would definitely buy a vehicle from a Chinese brand, compared to just 4 percent of those 60 or older at the opposite end of the spectrum.
An additional 31 percent responded with a “maybe” to the question “would you consider buying a new vehicle from a Chinese brand?” This means consideration for buying a vehicle from China is at 76 percent for the under-40 demographic in the U.S. overall. AutoPacific president and chief analyst Ed Kim notes that “a surprising number of American consumers are familiar with Chinese car brands even though none are sold here currently.”
In the 40 to 49 age group, 35 percent of people said they would “definitely” consider a Chinese vehicle, with another 23 percent of “maybes.” For 50 to 59, these numbers drop to 11 percent and 31 percent respectively, with over-60 Americans at 4 percent definitely and 22 percent maybe.
Where all age groups are in near-agreement are worries about privacy related to vehicles from China. A full 73 percent of Americans under 40 are concerned about Chinese vehicle privacy, with 44 percent “strongly” concerned and the rest “somewhat” concerned. At the upper end of the age scale, 81 percent of Americans over 60 have privacy concerns.
Ed Kim said that this suspicion is “likely to eventually subside,” pointing out “most of the connected smartphones, smart watches, laptops, connected home devices we are comfortable using every day are in fact manufactured in China.”
Consumers also said they’d be more willing to consider a Chinese brand if the vehicle itself were produced in the United States. Among under-40 respondents, 39 percent said that U.S. manufacture would significantly increase their chances of buying a China-branded vehicle, while even 12 percent of over-60 individuals said the same. Production in Canada or Mexico also boosted purchase consideration, though not as much.
AutoPacific consumer insight manager Robby DeGraff says “younger generations of shoppers are clearly aware of the enticing products Chinese automakers are cooking up overseas” and know that the vehicles will eventually arrive on American shores.
The Biden administration is taking steps to delay that eventuality, with a recent boost of tariffs on EVs made in China from the previous 25 percent to a new 100 percent.
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