{"id":36415,"date":"2026-10-06T12:34:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T10:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/?page_id=36415"},"modified":"2026-10-06T12:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T10:34:08","slug":"desire-to-buy-and-knowing-what-to-buy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/lobservatoire-cetelem-de-lautomobile\/observatoire-automotive-2027-country-or-price-motorists-have-made-their-choice\/desire-to-buy-and-knowing-what-to-buy","title":{"rendered":"Desire to buy and knowing what to buy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For all its symbolic weight, a car remains a consumer good. Beyond any emotional pull toward a national or regional brand, drivers inevitably set romantic sentimentality aside in favour of far more pragmatic considerations. This mindset essentially boils down to one decisive question: how much does it cost? Yet this price sensitivity does not preclude brand loyalty or an appreciation of a vehicle\u2019s origin, provided it is offered at the best possible price.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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MOTIVATED BUYERS\u2026<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Even as the automotive sector navigates uncertainty, shaken by energy market volatility and scaling back of government subsidies, 7 in 10 drivers state they intend to purchase a vehicle (new or used), with a third planning to do so within the next 12 months. These consistently high metrics across Observatoire Cetelem editions demonstrate that cars retain their underlying appeal, offering a clear ground for optimism among brands. This appetite for a new vehicle is particularly pronounced in Turkey and Italy, as well as among younger demographics and higher-income households. Looking ahead, future purchases are set to skew towards new vehicles rather than second-hand models.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n Fig. 27 \u2013 Intention to purchase a car, within the next 12 months or later (% by country)\n <\/p>\n \n \n Download this infographic for your presentations\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \"Stacked\n \n Stacked vertical bar chart. Question: “Are you planning to buy a car?” Base: all respondents, in %. Two series: “Yes, within the next 12 months” and “Yes, but not within the next 12 months”. Source: Observatoire Cetelem de l’automobile 2027.\nFor all countries combined, 29% plan to buy within 12 months and 42% plan to buy later (71% combined).\nData by country, in the form within 12 months \/ later (combined):\n\u2022 Germany 32% \/ 43% (75%)\n\u2022 Belgium 19% \/ 47% (66%)\n\u2022 China 45% \/ 29% (74%)\n\u2022 Spain 30% \/ 41% (71%)\n\u2022 United States 40% \/ 29% (69%)\n\u2022 France 24% \/ 43% (67%)\n\u2022 Italy 33% \/ 45% (78%)\n\u2022 Japan 10% \/ 46% (56%)\n\u2022 Netherlands 26% \/ 46% (72%)\n\u2022 Poland 21% \/ 47% (68%)\n\u2022 Portugal 20% \/ 49% (69%)\n\u2022 United Kingdom 29% \/ 39% (68%)\n\u2022 Turkey 45% \/ 39% (84%)\n\u2022 Europe average 26% \/ 44% (70%)\nChina and Turkey have the highest short-term intentions (45% each), and Japan the lowest (10%). Turkey has the highest combined intention (84%).\n <\/span>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u2026WITH CLEAR IDEAS AHEAD OF PURCHASE<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Drivers want to buy, and they know what they want. Indeed, 6 in 10 already know the brand of their next car. Once again, this conviction is strongest in Asia (China 81%, Japan 74%), as well as in Belgium (69%). By contrast, in Italy, Portugal and the UK, only a minority have a clear idea of which brand they will choose. Behind these headline figures, a clear distinction emerges between the used and new car markets. In the used market, where purchases are often driven by opportunistic timing or finding a \u201cgood deal,\u201d only 1 in 2 drivers knows which brand they will choose, with British buyers being the most open to surprises. Conversely, in the new car market, fully 7 in 10 respondents have already settled on a brand. Chinese consumers are exceptionally decisive (84%), whereas Italian buyers remain far more hesitant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n Fig. 28.1 \u2013 Knowledge of the brand of the next car, for a new purchase (% of “yes”)\n <\/p>\n \n \n Download this infographic for your presentations\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \"Bar\n \n Vertical bar chart. Question: “Do you know what brand your next car will be?” Base: respondents intending to buy a car in the next 12 months, in %. Filter: next vehicle will be a new car, answer “Yes”. Source: Observatoire Cetelem de l’automobile 2027.\nAcross all countries combined, 70% already know their brand. China is the highest (84%) and Italy the lowest (51%).\nData by country: Germany 60%, Belgium 81%, China 84%, Spain 71%, United States 76%, France 68%, Italy 51%, Japan 77%, Netherlands 64%, Poland 75%, Portugal 61%, United Kingdom 61%, Turkey 67%. The European average is 65%. The total is 70%.\n <\/span>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n Fig. 28.2 \u2013 Knowledge of the next car brand, for a used purchase (% of “yes”)\n <\/p>\n \n \n Download this infographic for your presentations\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \"Bar\n \n Vertical bar chart. Question: “Do you know what brand your next car will be?” Base: respondents intending to buy a car in the next 12 months, in %. Filter: next vehicle will be a used car, answer “Yes”. Source: Observatoire Cetelem de l’automobile 2027.\nAcross all countries combined, 50% already know their brand. Japan is the highest (65%) and the United Kingdom the lowest (33%).\nData by country: Germany 52%, Belgium 57%, China 43%, Spain 48%, United States 50%, France 54%, Italy 51%, Japan 65%, Netherlands 47%, Poland 63%, Portugal 40%, United Kingdom 33%, Turkey 55%. The European average is 50%. The total is 50%.\nCompared with Fig. 28.1, buyers of used cars are less likely to know the brand in advance (50% against 70% for new cars).\n <\/span>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For all its symbolic weight, a car remains a consumer good. Beyond any emotional pull toward a national or regional brand, drivers inevitably set romantic sentimentality aside in favour of far more pragmatic considerations. This mindset essentially boils down to one decisive question: how much does it cost? Yet this price sensitivity does not preclude […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1945,"featured_media":0,"parent":36450,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"t-etude-chapitre.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36415","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1945"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36416,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36415\/revisions\/36416"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observatoirecetelem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}