CarMax's Summer of Discovery Campaign Offers Ideas to Keep Road Trip
Affordable
RICHMOND, Va., Aug 02, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Sedans
are the vehicle of choice for 40 percent of travelers this summer,
according to a recent online survey conducted for CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:
KMX), the nation's largest retailer of used
cars. Although SUVs
and minivans
provide more room for comfortable travel and luggage, only 26 percent
and 13 percent, respectively, plan to take their road trip in these
types of vehicles this year. One percent will be enjoying their summer
trip with the top down in a convertible.
This survey is part of CarMax's Summer
of Discovery campaign, which offers consumers cost-saving vacation
and travel ideas. The Summer of Discovery Facebook contest, which is
running now until August 19, invites fans to share their best vacation
tips in their region of the U.S. The one fan with the most "liked" tip
at the end of each week wins $250 and the person who entered the most
"liked" tip at the end of the contest will win $5,000. In addition to
the fans' cost-saving ideas, CarMax also offers tips on gas mileage,
vehicle maintenance and how to make the right vehicle choice.
Despite the economy and high gas prices, 76 percent of adults plan to
take a road trip this summer. Many of these trips will be quite a
distance from home, with respondents saying their longest drive will
average nine hours one-way. To make the trip more affordable, more than
40 percent of respondents plan on packing food instead of stopping at
restaurants and more than a third will be staying with friends or family
instead of paying for a hotel.
The following are the results of a national, random survey conducted by
Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CarMax. More than 1,000 U.S. adults
completed the online interview July 5 - July 8, 2011.
What kind of car are you taking for your summer trip?
|
Responses Offered
|
|
|
Percent
|
|
Sedan
|
|
|
40%
|
|
SUV
|
|
|
26%
|
|
Minivan
|
|
|
13%
|
|
Truck
|
|
|
8%
|
|
Wagon
|
|
|
2%
|
|
Convertible
|
|
|
1%
|
|
Some other type of car
|
|
|
10%
|
|
|
|
|
Are you planning on doing any of the following in order to make this
summer's trip more affordable?
|
Responses Offered
|
|
|
Percent
|
|
Packing food instead of stopping at restaurants
|
|
|
42%
|
|
Driving instead of flying
|
|
|
39%
|
|
Staying with friends instead of hotels
|
|
|
35%
|
|
Vacationing closer to home than you typically do
|
|
|
29%
|
|
None of these
|
|
|
23%
|
|
|
|
|
About CarMax
CarMax, a member of the FORTUNE 500 and the S&P 500, and one of the
FORTUNE 2011 "100 Best Companies to Work For," is the nation's largest
retailer of used cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax currently
operates 105 used car superstores in 51 markets. The CarMax consumer
offer is structured around four customer benefits: low, no-haggle
prices; a broad selection; high quality vehicles; and customer-friendly
service. During the twelve months ended February 28, 2011, the company
retailed 396,181 used cars and sold 263,061 wholesale vehicles at our
in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.
SOURCE: CarMax, Inc.
Media Contacts
Britt Farrar, Manager, Public Relations, (804) 747-0422, ext. 3473
Michelle Ellwood, CarMax Public Relations, (804) 747-0422, ext. 4139
Twitter: @CarMax