Ford’s annual look at U.S. vehicle-buying preferences revealed favorites are sometimes connected to local sports teams and weather conditions, but some surprising trends still came to light.

 

For example, Ford indicated it sold the most red-colored vehicles in Cincinnati — home of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team — and the most units with molten orange paint in Phoenix — home of the Phoenix Suns basketball squad.

 

However, the automaker also learned buyers in rainy, cool Seattle had the highest frequency of Ford vehicles equipped with moonroofs and air-conditioned seats.

 

“New-car buyers are not all the same, and they can surprise you,” said Brad Munn, Ford’s cross-vehicle product strategy manager.

 

“It’s important that we know what people are buying from coast to coast to make sure we are matching the right vehicles with regional consumer tastes,” Munn added.

 

Ford’s study found that because the cities of San Francisco and Seattle are known for environmentally conscious consumers, they ranked as the top two in hybrid sales. Next were Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix.

 

As the popularity of moonroofs in Seattle shows, Ford emphasized its data can turn up unexpected trends. Another case was residents in some large cities having an affinity for the traditional stick shift. Executives believe it defies the popular perception that only rural owners like to shift their own transmission.

 

Ford’s top five manual transmission markets include Minneapolis, Phoenix and Boston.

 

Moving on to more discussion about vehicle color, Ford mentioned that muted colors, including gray and silver, are most popular in large cities on the coasts, with California and the Pacific Northwest showing a particular affinity for gray cars.

 

The automaker said red is popular in the Midwest, regardless of bodystyle or vehicle type. And the East is distinctly green, with Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and New York rounding out the top five in that color.

 

“Car and truck owners throughout the country often try to convey different messages about themselves to the world,” explained Susan Swek, Ford’s group chief designer, color and materials design.

 

“Color choice is a powerful way to do that,” Swek added.

 

Turning next to technological features, Ford thinks it’s not surprising San Francisco and Los Angeles ranked as the top two cities were new-vehicle sales included navigation systems.

 

The automaker determined New York led the way in purchasers opting for rear seat DVD players, followed by Los Angeles and Dallas.

 

Ford also learned the top markets for tow packages include the perennial pickup truck capitals of the country — Dallas and Houston.

 

The automaker said towing is also a priority for residents of Memphis, Kansas City and Atlanta. Executives believe these areas likely reflect the presence of businesses that require towing capability and residents interested in getting out of town with either a boat or a travel trailer hitched to their truck.

 

“Not surprisingly, the peak cities for towing packages closely parallel the top markets for Ford F-Series trucks,” noted Doug Scott, Ford Truck Group marketing manager.

 

“About 95 percent of our Super Duty customers tow,” Scott added.

 

Another vehicle feature in which Seattle buyers led the way was for Ford’s rear-view camera and blind spot information system.

 

Ford also added that Seattle also only trailed San Francisco in use of active park assist, a system that offers drivers hands-free parallel parking.

 

Thanks to extensive sales analysis along with feedback from customers and dealers, Ford stressed that it has been able to optimize its model mix and meet customer needs.

 

“Ford focuses its efforts on delivering the right option combinations for its customers, and everyone reaps the benefits,” Munn declared.

 

 

Posted below are the top five markets for various Ford colors, powertrain and feature options by percentage in 22 major U.S. metropolitan areas:

 

 

Black

1. Boston

2. Detroit

3. New York

4. Miami

5. Chicago

 

Blue

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Pittsburgh

3. Seattle

4. Chicago

5. Detroit

 

Gold

1. Miami

2. Memphis

3. Orlando

4. Phoenix

5. Houston

 

Gray

1. Los Angeles

2. San Francisco

3. New York

4. Seattle

5. Philadelphia

 

Green

1. Boston

2. Philadelphia

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Pittsburgh

5. New York

 

Orange

1. Phoenix

2. Los Angeles

3. Miami

4. Denver

5. Seattle

 

Red

1. Cincinnati

2. Kansas City

3. Minneapolis

4. Chicago

5. Pittsburgh

 

Silver

1. Los Angeles

2. Phoenix

3. San Francisco

4. Orlando

5. Boston

 

White

1. San Francisco

2. Memphis

3. Los Angeles

4. Phoenix

5. Dallas

 

 

Diesel

1. Atlanta

2. Denver

3. Houston

4. Phoenix

5. Los Angeles

 

Hybrid

1. San Francisco

2. Seattle

3. Los Angeles

4. Washington, D.C.

5. Phoenix

 

Manual Transmission

1. Seattle

2. Minneapolis

3. Denver

4. Phoenix

5. Boston

 

Four Cylinder

1. Pittsburgh

2. San Francisco

3. Detroit

4. Boston

5. Denver

 

Six Cylinder

1. Los Angeles

2. Atlanta

3. Philadelphia

4. Memphis

5. Charlotte

 

Eigth Cylinder

1. Orlando

2. Memphis

3. Charlotte

4. Houston

5. Seattle

 

 

Moonroof

1. Seattle

2. New York

3. San Francisco

4. Atlanta

5. Los Angeles

 

Air-conditioned Seats

1. Seattle

2. Denver

3. San Francisco

4. Los Angeles

5. Washington, D.C.

 

Heated Seats

1. San Francisco

2. Atlanta

3. Charlotte

4. Seattle

5. Denver

 

Towing Package

1. Dallas

2. Houston

3. Memphis

4. Kansas City

5. Atlanta

 

Navigation System

1. San Francisco

2. Los Angeles

3. Seattle

4. Denver

5. Boston

 

Rear-seat DVD Systems

1. New York

2. Los Angeles

3. Dallas

4. Chicago

5. Atlanta

 

Active-Park Assist

1. San Francisco

2. Seattle

3. Denver

4. Washington, D.C.

5. Los Angeles

 

Rear-view Camera

1. Seattle

2. San Francisco

3. Kansas City

4. Los Angeles

5. Denver

 

Blind Spot Information System

1. Seattle

2. San Francisco

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Los Angeles

5. Denver