Interesting stuff. I posted some follow-up thoughts:
http://www.tommywonk.com/2009/06...its-
future.html
That pretty much proves that GM's dwindling market segment and the car-sharing market segment have zero overlap.
Not a surprise. Here's who GM has been selling to in recent years:
1) People who want BIG regardless of environmental tradeoffs.
Not many car-sharing people fit this market bucket.
2) People who have a historic, often generationally-influenced, loyalty to GM.
Yep, outside of their SUV and truck sales the main thing that kept people buying GM *cars* (not trucks) was a large number of people who'd always bought GM (or perhaps an American competitor). Unfortunately for GM a large part of this segment is now either dead or past driving age.
Car-sharers, of course, are generally much younger and not slaves to this kind of historical preference.
3) People who want the cheapest vehicle in its category NOW without regard for how well it's made or how well it will perform.
GM usually did price there cars attractively. But of course this is meaningless to a car share customer.
4) People who have to buy GM because they work for GM or a GM supplier.
Generally not an issue for a car-share, since people usually aren't taking it to drive to work or to visit their customer GM. In any event, this is a factor mostly in the Michigan area -- where car sharing and mass transit are very hard to make work given the way Detroit has been set up.
Interesting text. You have a nice blog. Keep it up!
Does anybody have any experience with this market research firm?
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