Honda ranks No. 1 among online auto shoppers

Honda won the popularity contest for having the most vehicles which shoppers researched online in the last quarter of 2001, according to a top 10 list compiled by Chrome Systems Corp., an automotive data provider.

Honda tops the list nationwide with the Civic, Accord and Odyssey claiming the top three slots.

Here are the results:

The Chrome data also shows popularity of online shopping by geographic regions.

Information about which vehicles and what options consumers are interested in by geographic region is valuable to several different departments within a manufacturer.

The marketing department can create better-targeted ad campaigns based on regional preferences. Dealer relations departments and dealers will be able to allocate vehicles where the vehicles will sell faster. Brand managers will know what's selling best and where. Retailers would be able to respond more rapidly to consumer demand.

“The automotive industry has been very focused on supply-chain planning and demand management is an integral part of it all,” says David Mingle, Chrome COO. “In today's economy, access to real-time demand information is extremely important.”

The Chrome Top 10 rankings are compiled from vehicle configurations captured through Chrome's Web-based configuration and pricing tool, Chrome Carbook, which is accessible from more than 1,500 websites, including Chevrolet.com.

The configuration data captured on Chrome's web servers shows the multitude of vehicle configurations consumers are researching, as well as where those consumers are located. It also enables manufacturers to see the color and option preferences online shoppers are configuring and comparing.