"Which one of the following attributes would be MOST important to you in your choice of your next vehicle?" was the question asked in an August 2009 survey. The choices were dependability, safety, fuel economy, quality, and low price. This same question was asked in previous surveys and the results are compared in the graph below. Dependability was chosen most often in nearly every survey. In 2009, 24% of the survey respondents indicated that fuel economy would be the most important vehicle attribute, while 29% of respondents chose dependability. Quality was chosen by 15% in 2008, but that rose to 19% in 2009.
Most Important Attribute for Your Next Vehicle
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Supporting Information
| Year | Fuel Economy | Dependability | Low Price | Quality | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 42% | 31% | 14% | 4% | 9% |
| 1981 | 20% | 40% | 21% | 7% | 12% |
| 1983 | 13% | 38% | 30% | 11% | 9% |
| 1985 | 8% | 41% | 29% | 12% | 10% |
| 1987 | 4% | 44% | 31% | 8% | 14% |
| 1996 | 7% | 34% | 11% | 19% | 29% |
| 2000 | 11% | 33% | 11% | 22% | 24% |
| 2001 | 11% | 30% | 8% | 22% | 30% |
| 2004 | 22% | 26% | 10% | 19% | 23% |
| 2005 | 12% | 33% | 7% | 21% | 28% |
| 2006 | 20% | 28% | 7% | 20% | 26% |
| 2007 | 21% | 30% | 7% | 17% | 24% |
| 2008 | 27% | 27% | 8% | 15% | 23% |
| 2009 | 24% | 29% | 10% | 19% | 18% |
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