Despite Bankruptcy News, Consumer Interest in GM, Chrysler Cars Remains Steady on Cars.com

CHICAGO, June 1, 2009: Despite Chrysler's bankruptcy challenges and a government-imposed deadline for GM to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, consumer interest in Chrysler and GM cars has remained steady over the past year on automotive shopping site Cars.com.

As of April, searches for new and used GM cars on Cars.com(1) were up more than 5 percent year over year, and they've continued that trend throughout May. In addition to search activity, more consumers have contacted dealers through Cars.com to inquire about purchasing a GM car or truck this year than did last year.

Cars.com is seeing similar results for Chrysler models, which saw steady levels of search activity and dealer contact through April. Now, for May, the number of consumers contacting Chrysler dealers has been rising.

"Some of this could be attributed to consumers who are out looking to take advantage of the hefty rebate deals, but we have noticed that the trend has been pretty steady for the past year," said Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen. "The possibility of bankruptcy has been in front of consumers for quite some time, and it appears that it hasn't deterred shoppers from considering these cars as they return to the market."

According to a recent Cars.com survey, 59 percent of consumers said the current economy and struggles of the American car manufacturers will have no impact on whether or not their next car purchase will be an American car.

"The fact that consumer interest on Cars.com has remained steady for both of these manufacturers is certainly good news for them," Olsen said, "especially as consumer confidence continues to rebound and these manufacturers begin to restructure their debt and position themselves to be more competitive in the future."