New vehicle purchasers from the U.S. to China believe Hybrids and Hydrogen Fuel Cells are the technologies of the future. That's the opinion of car buyers in the U.S., Germany, France, Great Britain, India and China surveyed by PULS, an international market research institute.

These survey results clearly show that even in emerging markets, one cannot hope to succeed in these countries with conventional petrol and diesel technology

Detroit, MI (PRWeb) January 30, 2007 -- New vehicle purchasers from the U.S. to China believe Hybrids and Hydrogen Fuel Cells are the technologies of the future. That's the opinion of car buyers in the U.S., Germany, France, Great Britain, India and China surveyed by PULS, an international market research institute.

The online interviews were conducted in December 2006 with more than 3,500 people worldwide who planned to buy a new car, or recently purchased one. The multiple choice survey questioned consumers about their current preferences and needs for the future.

In first place was the hybrid with 42.7 percent of car buyers saying they considered it the power train of the future. Closely behind with a 41.9 percent response was the hydrogen fuel cell.

A smaller number of car buyers, 38.1 percent, perceive the future to be driven by fuel types derived from plants.

Opinions about diesel and petrol engines were surprising; only 11.5 percent of those interviewed consider these traditional engine types to be future oriented. These results show that cataclysmic changes are to be expected in engine technology.

Those who thought car buyers in emerging markets such as China and India are content with diesel and petrol fuel driven engines were proven wrong by the survey. More than 50 percent of Chinese vehicle purchasers say the hydrogen fuel cell is the power source of the future compared to 5.2 percent who picked diesel engines.

In India, 37.6 percent of respondents said they believe the engine of the future will be fueled with natural gas, while 36.5 percent picked biological fuel types derived from plants. Hydrogen fuel cells also got high marks by car buyers surveyed in India.

"These survey results clearly show that even in emerging markets, one cannot hope to succeed in these countries with conventional petrol and diesel technology," says Dr. Konrad Wessner, Owner and General Manager of PULS.

Hybrids have the most fans in the U.S. and France with 50.9 percent and 46.9 percent of car buyers saying it is the powertrain of the future. Germans boast the highest affinity for diesel engines. There18.4 percent of car owners interviewed believe self-igniting engines are future oriented.

Overall, this survey shows significant market demand for Hybrid and Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered vehicles.

"If potential car buyers perceive a certain engine type to have a capacity for the future, they will in turn prefer manufacturers who are leaders in their respective field," says Dr. Wessner.

Consequently, in order to win over environmentally concerned consumers, American car manufacturers must be proactive in future developments rather than leave the field to others as they did with the hybrid technology.

The 100-page survey titled "Automotive Trends and Success Factors," will be published in March 2007 in English and German.

PULS GmbH is a renown German-based trend and market research for the Automotive industry with offices in the United States, and Germany. The worldwide study on automotive trends is being released March 2007. A preview of the study can be downloaded here: http://www.puls-navigation.de/english/Teaser.pdf.

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