My job, at a university, involves many things.Parking lot patrols and traffic control are 1 of the big responsibilities I have. As a result, I watch cars all day long and talk to the drivers if need be.I decided to conduct a car count, of sorts, to see what the most popular cars are on campus.I made a list of the cars I saw most often, and counted those models over the course of several days.Using this almost-scientific method, I've come up with a fairly accurate list.
Our school is a small, private tech/design college with a large contingency of foreign students studying abroad. There are quite a few older students who work all day and take evening classes.We have pretty unique demographics, like most colleges, and staff members park in the same lots as students, so this is not reflective of all colleges.But this is real data from someone engaged in parking/traffic duties that offers insight into the college auto market.
Here it goes. The 5 most common cars at the University I work at:
1. Ford Focus- 9 times out of 10, Focuses outnumber everything else in out lots.Its easy to understand this one. They are affordable, fuel-efficient, and just stylish enough not to hurt anyones reputation.
2.Toyota Camry-Believe it or not,it's foreign students that put this car in the number 2 spot. Camrys dominate with international students.Otherwise, they tend to attract faculty and staff members more than anything.
3.Honda Civic-Is anyone really surprised? Civics are often thought of as the ultimate students car, and it is universally popular. Civics are considered "socially acceptable" and even "cool", so its equally popular with local and international students.It seems to be desired by both faculty and students,giving it unique cross-demo appeal.
4.Chevrolet Malibu-It should be said that there are different generations of the Malibu, with different buyers. Older malibus, from the 90s to early-2000s, are popular with students. Newer Malibus are popular with faculty/staff members.
5.Honda Accord-Similar to the Civic in that it appeals to a wide, diverse audience, but not as prevalent.These cars sell in huge numbers nationally, but this is not their biggest market regionally, with the Malibu and Fusion giving it very strong competition.Still, they show up enough to edge out the Taurus and Fusion for the number 5 spot.
Notice, no Corolla on the list. It may be one of the most popular cars in the world, but are not seen in large numbers at our school.This is an example of how demographics and even regional markets can greatly differ within the same country.At other schools,the Corolla would probably be in the top 5.
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