AUTO

New Drivers' Dreams

Teens and parents often disagree about the ideal first car.

JULIE CANDLER

Special to The Jewish News

een-agers go upscale
when they dream
about cars. They
choose small, expen-
sive, racy-looking
performers with a macho im-
age. Maybe a Lamborghini
Diablo (about $240,000). They
might settle for a Chevrolet
Corvette or Porsche. What-
ever it is, it has to be stylish.
On the other hand, when
parents dream about the
ideal car for their
children, they
consider

I

boring details — insurance
costs, affordable prices and
most of all, safety and
crashworthiness. Mothers
and fathers think of large,
modest, family-type four-door
sedans.
"What my parents would
like for me," says 16-year-old
Marlayna Schoen, "is a big
ugly blob of a car. Preferably
with bright yellow reflective
paint so people could see me
coming!'
Auto makers, meanwhile,
are analyzing the teens they
need as future customers.
"The desire for a youth to get
into a new car as soon as
possible is much higher than
it has ever been:' says Bill
Kennedy of Dodge merchan-
dising.

Though they're a small
market segment — about 2
percent of the principal
drivers of new cars bought in
1990 model year — the car
buyers of the future are im-
portant to auto makers. Youth
marketing experts like Irma
Zandl, president of the New
York firm of Extreme, Inc.,
say that brand loyalties begin
to develop at about age 8.
"I think you can't start too
young;' says Bill Kennedy.
"These kids can say `Lam-
borghini Diablo' when they
are 5."
By the time they reach
their teens, they influence
family buying.
"When it comes to getting
their first car, teen-agers have
tremendous influence over
their parents," says Ms.
Zandl.
"The biggest rea-
son for our interest
in the youth mar-
ket," says Jon Har-
mon, assistant mana-
ger, public affairs, at Ford
Motor Credit Company, "is
to get young people to try
our product. When we satis-
. fy them with a good
ownership experi-
ence, they
will stay
with our
product
for the fu-
ture!'
A 65-
y e ar- old
buyer, on
the other
hand,
may not
live long
enough to buy
another car.
Another rea-
son for Ford's
interest, says
Mr. Harmon, "is
that young
people are less

to fill the gap. Many parents
whose teen-agers require
shuttling to hockey, soccer,
football and other practices
can't wait for them to reach
driving age.
"My daughter has to be at
school at 6 a.m. daily for
swim practice," says one
working mother. "She gets
home at 5:30 p.m. I'm getting
her a car."
"I'm not that excited about
having my daughter waiting
at the bus stop at 7:15 a.m. on
dark winter mornings;' says
Ray Horenstein. He's the
father of Michelle, 19, a stu-
dent at Michigan State
University, and Kari, 17, at
North Farmington High
School.
Kari needs her Chevrolet
Blazer to drive to an after-
school job two days weekly.
She is president of a
marketing club that meets
both before and after school.
Even young people who live
in small towns like Oxford,
Mich., need cars. "Chauffeur-
ing is hard when both parents
are working;' says psycholo-
gist Janet McPeek. She con-
sults with teen-agers and
Perhaps car makers' promo-
parents in her work for the
tions contribute to the high
Oxford Area Community
school teens' mindset that
Schools and nearby Camp
shuns bicycles, walking and
Oakland Youth Programs.
all forms of transportation ex-
As for cars the teens want
cept the motor vehicle.
to drive, Peter Zollo, president
"Taking the bus is taboo,"
of Teen-age Research Unlim-
says Chuck Schoen, a senior
ited, in Northbrook, says,
at Clarkston High School in
"Teens who have the means
Michigan. He stopped riding
to buy a car — especially boys
the school bus — known to
— will get a sporty model.
some as "The Loser Cruiser"
More than 80 percent of them
— when he was 16 and a
— boys and girls — say fast
ninth-grader. He usually gets
cars are in."
a ride from a friend, or picks
"lb a young man, a car is
up friends when he drives his
sort of like a peacock's tail.
mother's station wagon.
He needs it to attract the
Seventeen-year-old Lydia
female," says marketing ex-
Halaburda of Warren rides
pert Tram Zandl. "Girls like a
the bus but says, "Most of my
guy to have a certain car. If
friends drive to school. For
it's racy, it implies he's virile."
one thing, they like to drive to
Macho is written all over
Burger King or Taco Bell for
another favorite on the teens'
lunch because they hate the
automotive hit parade — the
high school cafeteria food:'
sport utility vehicle, par-
Often a teen's car is a mat-
ticularly the Jeep Wrangler.
ter of convenience for parents
"What kids like about
who are weary of chauffeur-
Jeep," says Bill Kennedy,
ing. For students who remain
Dodge truck merchandising
after school for sports, drama
specialist, "is its affordabili-
or other activities, the school
ty, image of machoism, road
bus doesn't wait. Parents have

loyal to American cars."
To lure young buyers, Ford
and other auto makers, in-
cluding Asian and European,
offer a large rebate, usually
$500, to recent college
graduates. They offer another
large discount for first-time
buyers.
Among other Ford over-
tures to youth: a national
driver education program and
cooperative programs with
college business schools.
New product research at
Ford and other auto makers
aims for styling, design and
marketing with youth appeal.
Chrysler Corporation's Youth
Advisory Committee advises
about pricing, colors, advertis-
ing and graphics, as well as
vehicles and option packages
with youth appeal.
Many auto companies hold
promotional events on college
campuses and hangouts at
spring break time. Saturn
emphasizes its team concept
by presenting awards for col-
lege students' team projects.
Some auto makers buy
pages in youthful magazines
like Teen and Spin.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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