Honest Insights Autumn 2013

7/27/2019 Honest Insights Autumn 2013

1/8

I

f theres one thing thats

exploded in the past few years

its the number of customisationoptions car makers are oering.

Ten years ago you would be able

to pick the paint colour and not

much else now you can choose

everything from the wheel design

to the type of stitching on the seats

and everything in between.

In fact its the biggest selling

point of cars like the MINI, the

Citroen DS3 and the Vauxhall

Adam, for which there are millions

of combinations of engine,

trim level, equipment and

accessories.

It makes buying

a car a much

more personal

experience.

Unfortunately it also makes

buying one of these cars a potential

mineeld, particularly when theresa budget to stick to. Adding decals,

mirror caps, wheel inserts, and

gear like sat navs and upgraded

audio equipment ramps up the

cost and thats before you try to

gure out what engine, gearbox

and equipment grade is best.

Its not restricted to those cars

like the MINI or Adam either more

and more models are getting a

broader range of optional extras

that are exciting, enticing and

confusing for potential buyers.

It makes HonestJohn.co.uk anincredibly valuable resource for

buyers.

We get behind the wheel of

every major new car and, thanks

to expert knowledge, we can

help buyers identify which model,

engine and equipment grade

will best suit their needs. That

way they can make an educated

decision and easily work out the

budget they have for niceties like

roof decals, alloy wheels

and unique paint

nishes.1NEW EDITORIAL

INVESTIGATION

20,704,715PAGE VIEWS

3,950,601UNIQUE USERS

1,117,986REAL MPG VIEWS

13,239VISITS VIA SOCIAL

REFERRAL

6,745FACEBOOK CLICK

THROUGHS63.2%

OF TRAFFIC

VIA GOOGLE

34%MOBILE ANDTABLET USAGE

HONESTINSIGHTS

ISSUE TWO

MARKET TRENDS GOOGLE ANALYTICS WHATS NEW ASK HJ

ON THE SITE

THE SITE INNUMBERS

www.honestjohn.co.uk Autumn 201301

Google automotive trends or July show a WoW rise o 20.78% in searches or the Vauxhall Adam and August

saw a WoW increase o 9.09% or the Citroen DS3. Wider trends in the industry mirror that o Honest John

users, so shows promise or Vauxhall that with longevity on its side, the Adam will rival the DS3.

Built to orderPersonalisation at its peak

Vauxhall Adam

MINI Cooper Citron DS3 Vauxhall Adam

Google trends for

June say the phrase

What is my carworth? rose by

12.74% as a result

trafc to our buying

a selling advice rose

by7.6% on last Q.

AUGUST 2013

MARKED THE18TH MONTH OF

CONSECUTIVE

RISES IN NEW CAR

REGISTRATIONS

S3PT PL4TES

MINI Cooper

* 10th June 10th September


2/8

Frankfurt Fun

02

MOST POPULAR

LUXURYDOMINANCEON THE SITE

Autumn 2013 www.honestjohn.co.uk

While HonestJohn.co.uks bread-and-

butter are buyers looking for practical,

affordable family cars, many visitors

to the site are looking at the premium

sector. Heres how they fare on the site.

The table on the right shows the %

share of page impressions for each car

in the luxury category

Mercedes-Benz E-Class25.26%

Range Rover Evoque14.42%

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class14.14%

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class8.92%

Mercedes-Benz S-Class7.5%

Jaguar XK7.5%

BMW 7 Series6.7%

Audi A7

6.26%

Jaguar XJ4.81%

Audi A84.42%

0 5 10 15 20 25

New family cars youll be driving next year

USERENGAGEMENT

3,950,601UNIQUE

VISITS

17,942*NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIPTIONS

89,181COMMUNITY FORUM

THREADS

5,547GARAGES

IN THE

GOOD

GARAGE GUIDE

4,038NEW

REGISTRATIONS

1,916QUESTIONS ASKED

364

NEW GARAGEREVIEWS


September is one of the busiest months on the

motoring calendar for car makers and motoring

journalists alike. HonestJohn.co.uk comprehensively

covered the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with an

interactive live feed and in-depth stories on the most

important models.

Across the busiest days of the show the press days

HonestJohn.co.uk readers clicked on our Top ten:Family cars youll be driving next year more than

any other story. This indicates that users are already

researching which new car will best suit the needs of

their family well in advance of making a purchase.

SMMT Vs. HONESTJOHN.co.ukSMMT TOP 10

1) Ford Fiesta

2) Ford Focus

3) Vauxhall Astra

4) Volkswagen Golf

5) Vauxhall Corsa

6) BMW 3 Series

7) Volkswagen Polo

8) Nissan Qashqai

9) BMW 1 Series

10) Peugeot 208

HJ.CO.UK TOP 10

1) Volkswagen Golf

2) Hyundai ix35

3) Skoda Octavia

4) Dacia Logan

5) SEAT Leon

6) Ford Fiesta

7) Dacia Sandero

8) Renault Captur

9) Peugeot 2008

10) Toyota Auris


3/803

REAL MPG

Best performingmodels for threepopular categories,June - September

The best performers:ESTATES:

1) Peugeot 308 SW 2008

49.5mpg equivalent to 93.8% of the

average combined mpg

2) Skoda Superb Estate 2010



3) Honda Accord Tourer 2008



MEDIUM FAMILY:

1) Honda Civic 2012



2) Hyundai i30 2012



3) Toyota Auris 2013



SMALL HATCHBACKS:

1) Honda Jazz 200846.9mpg equivalent to 90.9% of the


2) Suzuki Swit 2010



3) Chevrolet Spark 2010




43,919

Number ofReal MPGssubmitted.Real MPG

has one of thehighest userdwell times

across the site

was launched in April 2011 and

allows drivers to log the true fuel

economy of their vehicles. It has

since developed into a databaseof more than 40,000 Real MPG

submissions, covering almost 2,500 model and engine

combinations of cars from 2006 to 2013.

Real MPG provides the most usable everyday

alternative to the ofcial fuel economy gures by using

real life data provided by users. It takes the average fuel

consumption from all entries for the most realistic results.

So what is it?

BEST PERFORMER NEW CAR

FOR REAL MPG THIS Q IS:Skoda Superb

Average 45.9 MPG

(97.9% of the ofcial gure)


4/8

31.14%OF ALL SOCIAL

TRAFFIC COMES

VIA TWITTER

04

SOCIAL & MOBILE

What do our readers want to know?Usage and referrals

52.2%OF ALL SOCIAL

REFERRALS CAME

FROM FACEBOOK

20%INCREASE IN

FACEBOOK PAGE

LIKES ON

LAST YEAR

474,460YOUTUBE VIEWS


August saw HonestJohn.

co.uk making national

headlines yet again with

another story based around large

data sets.

The Honest John Car Crime

Census 2013 looked into which

areas of the country see thehighest rates of car crime, based

on data sets obtained through

Freedom of Information requests

from each of the UKs police

forces and through police.uk.

We tied these gures up with

the amount of cars registered in

a specic postcode to generate

a heatmap showing the worst

areas in the country.

More than 200 media outlets

including Sky News TV, the Daily

Mail, ITV and numerous regional

newspapers, websites and radio

stations including BBC London

ran the story. We tailored specic

angles for every part of the

country for maximum coverage.

This follows on from our other

successful stories on the analysisof 26m MoT records and the

declining numbers of well-known

1980s cars on the road.

As with our previous big stories,

this once again meant a sizeable

increase in trac and referrals

from websites. There was a

strong angle on commercial

vehicles being targeted and,

as a result, our insurance section

on our vans site saw impressions

leap by 1110%.

HonestJohn.co.uk turns to crime(but not in that way)

Most popular stories within crime

1TOP 10

MOST

STOLEN

2TOP 10

MOST

STOLEN TO

ORDER

3TOP 10 CARS

THIEVES

AVOID

Vans site sawimpressionsleap by

1110%

MOBILE USAGE

MOBILE AND

TABLET USAGE

IS STILL

ON THE

INCREASE WITH

OF ALL TRAFFIC

COMING FROM ONE

OF THESE DEVICES,

AN INCREASE OF

FROM LAST Q

38%

3%


5/805

BUYING ON A BUDGET

One of the key trends

that weve noticed over

the past year has been

the re-emergence of the budget

car, led principally by Dacias

much-anticipated UK launch. At

5,995 the Sandero is Britains

cheapest car and it has generated

plenty of interest among users of

HonestJohn.co.uk.

Why this is particularly notable

is that Dacia is entering a dormant

sector of the market, one that has

been slowly and systematically

vacated by the three main Korean

manufacturers Hyundai, Kia and

Chevrolet across the past 10

years. These brands have shifted

their market position, to focus

more on value than price and, as

a result, have become mainstream

choices that are legitimate

alternatives to the more established

manufacturers. Its something that

was unthinkable 10 years ago.

An illustration of this is the

Hyundai i30. The cheapest model

on the price list today is 14,495,

whereas its predecessor of 2004,

the Accent, started at 7,995.

The key reason for this is that the

Korean manufacturers especially

Kia and Hyundai discovered

that the budget end of the market

is a niche. What most buyers are

looking for is value-for-money,

rather than the lowest list price.

So thats what Hyundai and Kia

have given them. As well as

European design and manufacture,

long warranties and competitive

equipment lists, both have also

signicantly reduced their CO2

levels of the early 2000s to their

industry-leading positions today.

That means lower running costs,

another key part of the value-

for-money equation.

This formula has worked

wonders and its no coincidence

that Kia and Hyundai are two of

the most popular new car brands

among our users. Their shares of

the UK market have leapt too.

So thats left the door open

for Dacia and its Sandero, Logan

and Duster models, which all oer

the lowest list prices in each of

their classes. Dacia has also

had an impact on other

manufacturers list prices, too.

Suzuki, for instance, regularly

has the Alto on a 5,995 promotion

(list is 7,199).

With low cost car manufacturing

operations in Brazil, India and, of

course, China, the question is

how long will Dacia have this

market largely to itself and are

there enough buyers in the UK

motivated solely by price to

sustain it?

Buying on a BudgetThe cheapest new cars on the market

ANALYSIS:

Dacia Sandero Dacia Duster Dacia Logan MCV


THE STATSWhat most buyers arelooking for is valuefor money rather thanlowest list price

GROWING PURCHASE CONSIDERATION

March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013

Since February our users

have shown a

71.5% INCREASEin consideration for the brand

Dacia has seen a solid growth in page

impressions on the site throughout 2013

SANDERO STEPWAY

30%

LOGAN MCV

30%DUSTER

16%

SANDERO

10%

% SPLIT OF PAGE

IMPRESSIONS

FOR MODELS

OF THE DACIA

BRAND INCAR-BY-CAR


6/8

The 1984-1995 mid-sized Mercedes-Benz saloon earned itsel an enviable reputation or reliability and solidity when new and

it would seem that HJ Classics readers have come to the same conclusion some 25 years later. Since June, its consistently been

the most searched-or car within the reviews section, more oten than not doubling the amount o views o more established

classics, such as the MGB or Triumph Stag. Whether thats down to it being a usable car in modern trafc, or a sign o a shit in

the classic car scene remains to be seen, but you can be sure that HJ Classics will be closely tracking uture market trends.

CLASSIC OF THE QUARTER

06

HJ CLASSICS

775,916PAGE VIEWS

624,398UNIQUE PAGE

VIEWS

65%RISE IN CLASSIC

INSURANCE ON

THE SITE

56.48%NEW VISITS

CLASSICS INFIGURES

HJ Classics attracting more users than ever!

Since HJ Classics went live in April, its been

interesting seeing what reviews have been the

most popular with the readership. With more

than 500,000 page impressions per month, were

already in a position to assemble hard data on the

typical online classic car enthusiast. More than 80 per

cent of them have a classic car in the garage, and are

blessed with plenty of spending power. Consequently

HJ Classics readers are going big on the classics of

the 1970s and 80s in particular. Cars such as the

Mercedes-Benz 190, Volkswagen Golf GTI, BMW 3

Series, Ford Sierra and Audi quattro are the darlings of

our readership right now, clearly demonstrating

that enthusiasm for classic cars is basedupon nostalgia for the cars that set the

pace during our formative years.

The good news about 1970s and 80s

classics is that they are both usable and aordable

right now. Massive steps in technology during the era,

mean that even the most humble 1980s saloon or

hatchback will keep up with modern trac, wont use

unreasonable amounts of fuel and, crucially, are easily

repaired by competent DIY mechanics. Of course,

theyre disappearing fast, as our How Many Survive

gures reveal, and there are growing issues with parts

supply, but current levels of interest means those cars

remaining are probably facing a secure future.

And HJ Classics will continue to champion the

cause of 70s and 80s classics.

The results from our site wide Classics

survey show that 40% of our audience areconsidered auent and earning more than

40,000 per year, indicating the lean

towards the more luxury manufacturers.


HEALTH OF THE AUCTION MARKET RECORD BREAKING CARS

One genuinely impressive achievement

of the classic car scene has been the

continual rise in values during the past

four years. Considering the credit crunch and

the consequent global economic meltdown

in 2008-09, the rising values of historic

cars, especially top-end ones, has been

truly startling. Weve been able to track this

relentless rise in values thanks to the results

being published by the auction houses both

in the UK and worldwide.

And the auction houses have enjoyed some

exceptional results during the recession and

subsequent slow recovery years. Although, as

car enthusiasts, we might not like using the

i word, classic cars have become a popular

investment, especially now that interest rates

have been historically low for so long, and

the stock market has been recovering slowly

since the crash. Auction houses describe cars

as tangible assets, ones that you can enjoy

while they appreciate in value.

Since 2008, weve had two new players join

the market, Historics and Silverstone and

both have already established themselves

within what we as pundits thought was

a crowded market. But the established

UK auction houses, led by Bonhams, and

followed by H&H, Barons, Brightwells and

Coys, dont seem to have suered at all.

This suggests that more people are

auctioning more classic cars, and the market

is growing appreciably.

Certainly, 2013 has shown us that the

growth of the classic car scene, and the

auction houses that support it, show no sign

of slowing. In fact, weve had some amazing

results this year, with Bonhams selling an

ex-Fangio Grand Prix Mercedes-Benz at the

Goodwood Festival of Speed for 20m, and

rapidly followed with ex-Nuvolari Alfa Romeo

at the Revival for almost 6m. Consider that

until RM Auctions sold its McLaren F1 at its

Battersea sale in London back in 2010, wed

not had a million pound-plus car come under

the hammer in the UK for more than three

years. A truly remarkable achievement.

40%o survey participants

earn more than40K a year

BMW 381i Audi Quattro Mercedes Benz 190 VW Golf GTI



7/8

Our van site shows no signs

of slowing down and our

latest addition is one weve

got high hopes for Real MPG for

vans. The Real MPG section was

launched for cars in mid-2011 and

since then has proved very popular

with more than 40,000 submissions

covering everything from the Ford

Focus to the Maserati Quattroporte

its a great insight into what cars

our users drive.And now weve been able to

launch Real MPG for vans a

section we think will be incredibly

useful for prospective van buyers.

Given that most commercial

vehicles cover tens of thousands of

miles a year, even a small dierence

in fuel consumption can make a big

dierence to an annual fuel bill.

Real MPG came about as a

response to our users.

We were receiving

huge numbers of

emails and questions

about fuel economy

and whether there was

a real world alternative

mpg to the ocial

gures determined by

the EU set tests. And

so Real MPG was born. Drivers

can enter their own fuel economy,which is then shown as an average

real world economy gure. It allows

owners to see how their own

gures compare to the average and

is a useful tool for buyers looking

to see which cars come closest to

matching the claimed combined

cycle gure.

Now that same concept is being

used for commercial vehicles

including all vans and pick-ups.

Were able to cover every engineand gearbox derivative for the

various makes and models, so

owners or potential buyers are

able to compare dierent versions

of the same model. The best

performer currently is the Ford

Transit and, although the section

is very much in its infancy, were

expecting plenty of growth in the

months to come.

August saw the launch of

our Crime Census and the

story around commercial

vehicles turned out to be one of

the most compelling aspects. Whatour information showed was that

vans were by far the vehicle most

targeted by thieves.

Whether its an opportunist thief

or an organised gang targeting

specic vehicles, vans are an

easy target 12 out of the top

15 vehicles broken into are vans

or pick-ups with the Mercedes-

Benz Sprinter being the third mosttargeted vehicle in the UK, whether

it was theft of the van itself, or it

being broken into.

The Sprinter is almost a victim of

its own success its robust

build and strong brand image

means organised thieves will have

few problems selling on a stolen

Sprinter and, with so many on the

roads, the Police have a hard time

tracking down stolen examples.

Pick-ups were another easy

target for thieves. This tended to

be theft from so tools and the

like being taken from the load

bay rather than the actual vehicle

being stolen. As part of the crime

census, we put together advice for

van and pick-up owners on how to

avoid being targeted by criminalsand hopefully keep their van and

its contents safe. Our Top 10 Most

Stolen Vans proved to be a popular

page with users, as did the Top 10

Least Stolen Vans.

07

HJ VANS

TOP 3 MOST

STOLEN VANS

1] Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

2] Nissan Cabstar

3] Ford Transit

TOP 3 LEAST

STOLEN VANS

1] Vauxhall Astravan

2] Peugeot Bipper

3] Fiat Doblo Cargo

MOST POPULAR

PICK-UP REVIEWS

1] Isuzu D-MAX2] Great Wall Steed

3] Toyota Hilux

4] Nissan Navara

5] Mitsubishi L200

365,339PAGE VIEWS

278,515UNIQUE PAGE

VIEWS

26%GROWTH ON

LAST Q

VANS INNUMBERSVANS: Real MPG


New feature of HJ Vans

VAN CRIME CENSUS 2013

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

DID YOU KNOW?

12 out of the top 15vehicles broken intoare vans or pick-ups



8/8

Most popular tags or published questions asked

HJ TRENDS

Hi HJ, do you

remember the Robin

Hood pub that

overlooked the main

road in Orpington?

The brakes have ailed

on my car. I eel like Im

driving a death trap,

what can I do?

Can I ft more

powerul uses in my

Volkswagen Passat to

allow me to boil a 24V

travel kettle?

HJs most popular this QThe lowdown on trending topics at HONESTJOHN.co.uk

Most popular searches in site wide search box

TyresHonda CivicFord FocusGap InsuranceGolf

Tags with the most page impressions

TyresHonda CivicFord FocusGap InsuranceGolf

Honest John community orum threads with themost recently added posts

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Most popularon YouTube

Renault Captur 1.5dClVideo Road Test18,086 Views

Ford Fiesta ST 2013Road Test14,215 Views

Citroen C4 Picasso2013 Video Demo12,653Views

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Honest Insights Autumn 2013

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