Regions Differ Markedly on Vehicles, Brands of Choice

Not just food, accents and politics differentiate sections of the U.S. from each other. So do vehicles of choice.

Regions vary, sometimes markedly, on automotive matters such as brand preference, vehicle popularity and pace of hybrid-electric vehicle sales, according to a trend analysis by Melinda Zabritski, senior director at data tracker Experian Automotive.

The occasional instances of matching interests involve the Midwest and the South. For example, pickup trucks are the most popular new-vehicle segment in both places.

In contrast, pickups are fifth of five in the Northeast, where entry-level CUVs draw the most new-vehicle buyers. The Western U.S likes small economy cars the most, according to Experian.

By automaker, General Motors ranks as No.1 for new-vehicle purchases in the Midwest and South, with market share of about 25% and 19%, respectively.

Next come Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and Honda in the Midwest; Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and Nissan in the South.

In the Western region, Toyota is first with about 19% market share followed by Ford, GM, Honda and Chrysler. The Northeast’s top five: Toyota, GM, Honda, Ford and Chrysler, although only a few percentage points separate one from other.

The Midwest was the only region with domestic brands comprising a majority of new-vehicle registrations (68%). GM, Ford and Chrysler are minorities in the South (48%), Northeast (39.5%) and West (38.4%).

In descending order, the top five new and used models by regional registrations are:

By basis points, Subaru in 2013 was No.1 in year-over-year market-share gains in the Northeast and West. Ford was first in the Midwest and South.

By state, hybrid sales are highest by share of registrations in California (8%), Oregon (7%), Washington (7%) and Hawaii (5%).

Hybrid registrations are lowest and all below 2% in North Dakota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wyoming and West Virginia.

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