According to a Nielsen report, more than 62.3 million Hispanics are living in the United States today. They wield purchasing power estimated at $1.9 trillion, according to the University of Georgia. This figure alone is impressive and takes on a daunting dimension when we consider that Hispanics in the U.S. are one of the fastest-growing populations in the country, responsible for about half of all births.
With a national average age of 38, Hispanics are also a very young group, whose enthusiasm and optimism have been one of the automotive industry’s lifelines during the pandemic. The Hispanic community was the only group that showed growth in new vehicle purchases over the past 18 months.
According to Toyota, the Miami market, where 71.51% of the population is Hispanic, has remained stable during the nationwide sales slump caused by the pandemic recession. It is no coincidence that Miami is the number one sales market for the Toyota Corolla, a car whose excellent reputation in South America travels north in the suitcases of migrants.
In a study on car-buying habits of different multicultural groups in the United States, Nielsen ranks Hispanics as the least brand-conscious population in the country, which gives manufacturers a better chance of convincing them of the quality of their products. But which factors persuade Latino buyers to purchase a particular model over its competitors?
SurgeMetrix, a company with more than 20 years of providing software and services to car dealers, conducted a study in 2020, before the outbreak of the pandemic, in which 58 percent of respondents were female and 42% were male; 75% of them were between the ages of 18 and 38.
The study concluded that when it comes to car purchases in the Hispanic community:
Hispanics are online and respond to digital advertising. SurgeMetrix updated the study in 2021 to determine whether the pandemic had introduced changes in Hispanic shopping habits. These were four key findings of the study:
While the findings of the study update do not necessarily contradict the conclusions reached in 2020, it does introduce one wrinkle: The reputation of the vehicle dealer became a new purchasing factor for Hispanics, which clashes with the lack of brand awareness referred to in the Nielsen study, released in July 2020 during the pandemic.
Clearly, although the cell phone is their primary purchasing tool, Hispanics like to drive the vehicles they buy, and the arrival of the coronavirus did not prevent them from doing so. Both before and after the pandemic, it’s also clear that Hispanic women play a decisive role in buying their cars.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.