More Americans are interested in buying one of the rugged off-roaders in Jeep’s lineup as the coronavirus crisis rages on.
That’s what one 426-person poll conducted by YouGov may indicate. Potential customers were asked, “When you are in the market next to purchase a car or truck, from which of the following would you consider purchasing?”
Responses showed a 2.6-percent increase in Jeep picks over the last 30 days, as 16 percent of total voters selected the American automaker. Ford, Ram, and General Motors saw a 1.8-, 1.4- and 1.1-percent increase respectively over the same 30-day period.
However, the Drive notes that a 426-person sample size isn’t large enough to accurately represent trends in the United States’ general population, as most statisticians wouldn’t consider a survey of less than 1,000 people to be adequate.
Even so, YouGov theorizes that the feelings of uncertainty created by the pandemic disease could have piqued interest in cars with capabilities on any terrain, through TrueCar analysts predict a 30-percent decrease in auto sales by year’s end.
“It may be too early to tell, but the brand has long positioned itself as a rugged go-anywhere machine, which may be appealing to consumers in uncertain times,” YouGov writes. “Jeep could benefit further as gas prices are expected to slide further as we enter a recession, making SUVs and larger vehicles attractive to the consumer.”
A similar theory could explain why gun and ammo sales have spiked since the coronavirus outbreak began.