Chrysler 300 Jumps to No. 1 Ranking for New Vehicle Launch 'Buzz'

AutoVIBES, a monthly automotive study from Harris Interactive® and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research tracking new vehicle nameplates, reveals that the 2005 Chrysler 300 is creating the most buzz of the 41 vehicles currently being tracked. Two Nissan vehicle launches -- the Armada and Titan, were in the top 5, with the Cadillac SRX and Pontiac GTO also making the list.

  (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040629/LATU032)

   New Vehicle Launches Creating the Most "Buzz"
   1.   2005 Chrysler 300
   2.   2004 Nissan Armada
   3.   2004 Cadillac SRX
   4.   2005 Pontiac GTO
   5.   2004 Nissan Titan

"Relatively little was known about Chrysler's 300 until it hit the showroom with a bang," said Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor and vehicle expert at Kelley Blue Book. "It's no surprise that the 300 is No. 1 because it has been embraced by car buyers and the press alike. Chrysler hit a home run with the 300."

The 300, which AutoVIBES has been tracking since January, began climbing in the study's ranking when it hit showroom floors in early April. It jumped from No. 14 during its pre-launch period to No. 3 in April and reached the top spot in the May wave of the study.

"Nissan's two launches have generated a lot of attention, and they have done a good job of getting the word out about those vehicles," said Vogelheim. "It remains to be seen whether that buzz will translate into sales that will meet industry expectations."

The top five were determined using survey data collected among in-market new vehicle shoppers (within 12 months from a new purchase or lease) during May 2004. Factors that were taken into account were the awareness, favorability, and attribute ratings associated with each vehicle. All vehicles tracked in AutoVIBES are 'new' nameplates. Redesigned models were not considered.

"Because AutoVIBES takes a monthly snapshot of consumer attitudes, it allows vehicle advertisers, marketers and OEMs to see the effectiveness of their consumer outreach campaigns in real time to better determine which messages are resonating with vehicle buyers," said Scott Upham, senior vice president of Automotive & Transportation Research for Harris Interactive.

AutoVIBES is a monthly survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and over who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The survey is conducted the third week of each month for five days on Kelley Blue Book's Web site (www.kbb.com), the most visited Web site among in-market vehicle buyers. The study was designed and analyzed jointly by Harris Interactive and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research.

These data were weighted by age, sex, race, education, income and region, and propensity weighted to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online, to reflect the total U.S. adult population of in-market vehicle buyers. Though this sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

For more information about AutoVIBES, a list of all nameplates tracked or how additional new nameplates fared among car shoppers, please contact Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research at 949-268-3074 or Harris Interactive at 877-919-4765.

About Harris Interactive®

Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll®, and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research from its U.S. offices and through wholly owned subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan -- as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of independent market- and opinion-research firms. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit www.harrispollonline.com.

About Kelley Blue Book and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research

Kelley Blue Book is the most trusted vehicle information resource by both consumers and the auto industry, providing research tools and up-to-date pricing on thousands of new and used vehicles, including the company's New Car Blue Book Value, which reveals what a new car is actually selling for. Since 1926, car buyers and sellers have relied upon Kelley Blue Book for authoritative and unbiased information to make well-informed automotive decisions. The company reports vehicle prices and values via products and services including the famous Blue Book Official Guide™, software and Internet site, kbb.com. Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research is a department within Kelley Blue Book which performs targeted, cost-effective research among in-market car buyers. Kbb.com has been rated the No. 1 automotive information site as well as No. 1 and first visited automotive site six years running. No other medium reaches more in-market car-buyers than kbb.com; one in every four American car-buyers completes their research on kbb.com.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040629/LATU032
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book

CONTACT: Robyn Eckard of Kelley Blue Book, +1-949-268-3049,
reckard@kbb.com; or Nancy Wong of Harris Interactive, +1-585-214-7316,
nwong@harrisinteractive.com

Web site: http://www.harrispollonline.com/

Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/

Web site: http://www.kbb.com/