The new-for-2019 Acura RDX has enjoyed a 70% share-of-segment online traffic gain since June 2017, including a 35% jump from June 2018 to July 2018, according to Jumpstart Automotive Media. Photo courtesy American Honda Motor Co.
SAN FRANCISCO — Jeep, Ford, and Acura each enjoyed significant gains in consumer interest in June, according to the latest report from Jumpstart Automotive Media’s shopper insights team.
Jeep’s share of interest on Jumpstart sites increased by 15% from June 2017 to June 2018. In the past year, Jeep has leapfrogged Nissan and BMW and now is the fifth-most-shopped brand, up from No. 7 in June 2017. Additionally, the first half of 2018 was Jeep’s best sales half-year ever with $495,000 in sales, according to Automotive News.
Ford has seen the most growth (20%) in shopper interest year-over-year among the top 10 brands and has been the most-shopped brand for 11 of the past 13 months. Jumpstart analysts singled out the highly anticipated reintroduction of the Ranger pickup, which has been the most-researched model on Jumpstart sites for three of the past five months — despite the fact that it won’t arrive at dealerships until early next year — as well as the EcoSport SUV and Mustang Shelby GT 500.
Acura’s share of interest increased 14% from the prior month, mainly due to the launch of its new RDX, analysts said. Within the compact luxury SUV/CUV segment, the RDX gained a 35% share of segment compared to May and increased 70% from June 2017. Gaining two spots on the ranking, RDX surpassed Lexus NX and BMW X1 to become the share of segment leader.
Trucks and utilities remain hot commodities, said Colin Thomas, senior analyst of strategic insights at Jumpstart, but they aren’t the only vehicles driving traffic online.
“Jeep has captivated many shoppers with its rugged off-road capabilities and exterior styling, while Ford and Acura continue to build versatile trucks and utilities and performance-driven cars that are desirable to many shoppers today,” Thomas said.
