SAN FRANCISCO -

Altima versus Camry — which car do more online auto shoppers prefer? A new report sheds light on this battle for best-selling midsize sedan.

With Nissan looking to gain ground against longtime segment frontrunner Toyota, Jumpstart Automotive Group evaluated shopper behaviors to reveal the top contender among online consumers so far this year.

Jumpstart assessed consumer intent for both vehicles across its network of 14 auto shopping and enthusiast websites, analyzing Altima and Camry Web traffic volume, sedan segment share of shoppers and cross-visitation statistics.

The results show that so far in 2012, average monthly unique users to Altima have increased 49 percent over 2011; from 2010 to 2011, that number jumped just 14 percent.

For Camry, average monthly unique users have increased 29 percent so far this year over 2011. Camry’s 2011 average monthly unique users grew 27 percent over 2010.

By sedan segment growth, Jumpstart reports that the Altima’s average monthly share of shoppers increased 16 percent so far this year, to represent a 5-percent share of shoppers, up from 4.3 percent at 2011 year-end.

The Camry, meanwhile, represents a 6.2-percent share of Jumpstart sedan shoppers, up slightly from 6.1 percent in 2011.

Some consumers are also cross-shopping for both the Altima and Camry sedans: The research shows that in January 2012, about 28 percent of Altima consumers cross-shopped Camry, while 19 percent of Camry consumers cross-shopped Altima.

By May 2012, however, the cross-shopping gap shrunk to a difference of only 1.5 percent, as 18 percent of Altima consumers cross-shopped Camry, and 17 percent of Camry consumers cross-shopped Altima.

“Nissan is going toe-to-toe with Toyota right now to capture market share and come out on top,” said Nick Matarazzo, chief executive officer for Jumpstart.

“Altima is making great strides this year with online car shoppers in our network. Even though sales of the Altima dipped in April, shopper interest across Jumpstart’s sites did not," he continued. "On the flipside, Toyota’s revamped Camry SE is making inroads with a younger set of buyers, the demographic with which Altima has traditionally resonated best.”

Matarazzo noted that the Honda Accord remains the sedan segment leader across the Jumpstart network, with a 7.3 percent average monthly share of Jumpstart sedan shoppers.

“Right now, Nissan and Toyota are battling for the number two spot in the midsize sedan segment,” he said. “And we’ve been keeping our eye on other contenders that are closing the ranks, like Ford Fusion, Hyundai Elantra and Sonata, and Kia Optima.”

The Marketing Campaigns

Marketing competition is fierce between Nissan and Toyota, with the Jumpstart report noting that Nissan launched its largest-ever marketing campaign in June for the 2013 Altima, featuring a blend of broadcast, digital, print and out-of-home, including 3D movie spots.

Social media is also playing a big marketing role in reaching younger buyers, as Nissan uses Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Google with “Innovation Garage” and “Altima Experience.”

Heavy incentives are being offered for outgoing 2012 models, and the introduction of the 2013 Altima prompted the best-ever Altima sales month this July, up nearly 25 percent from last year.

Also, Nissan announced this week that the company has hired David Champion, former longtime Consumer Reports Auto Test Center senior director, as executive adviser for competitive assessment and quality.

Champion will play a key role in Nissan’s focus on quality improvement, the automaker said.

On the Toyota side, the company last fall launched an aggressive marketing campaign for the reinvented 2012 Camry, including broadcast, print, digital, social media, out-of-home, drive events and multicultural campaigns.

This year, the company’s Super Bowl commercials for the Camry netted an average 21 percent gain in share of shoppers across Jumpstart’s network of automotive sites in the three weeks following the game, Jumpstart reported.

The redesigned Camry, and in particular its sportier SE edition, has attracted car buyers approximately nine years younger than average, to help spur a Camry sales increase of almost 40 percent through July 2012, according to the Jumpstart data.