By Ricardo Rodriguez Long
During the LAAutoshow, the Hispanic Motor Press surveyed attendees to understand the preferences of Latino car buyers. Almost a thousand responded to a simple questionnaire about their research preferences when buying a car. The results were not surprising for our organization. The data demonstrated that dealers needed to make some changes to better reach the Hispanic consumer.
The survey asked respondents, “How likely are you to visit a car dealer who advertises in Spanish?” Over half of the respondents (roughly 58%) found Spanish-language advertising to be valuable, especially for dealerships located in areas with large Hispanic populations, regardless of the car segment (from SUVs to luxury cars).
The results were mixed when asked if they would travel further to a dealer that advertised to them in Spanish. For consumers aged 40 and above, almost 75% said they would do so if pricing were the same. For younger buyers, 38% would consider making extra travel, Which means that dealerships selling higher-priced cars would greatly benefit from marketing to Hispanic consumers in their language.
The survey also asked, “How important is it for you to test drive a vehicle before you buy it?” The response was interesting. The majority of Hispanic women (82%) believed that test driving was essential, while about 68% of Hispanic men considered it a necessity. Therefore, some car brands may want to consider targeting Hispanic women with a different approach.
