Demographics/Market Research

The only thing I've seen is the CNBC survey conducted by Edmunds. If you reach out to Edmunds, they could probably provide more detail.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100970641

You might also contact Tesla's PR department, but they are unlikely to share even aggregate data.

There was a Jeffries survey on brand loyalty but the original report might be hard to find: Tesla Motors: We Really Love Our Cars - Stocks to Watch - Barrons.com

There are no demographics publicly available from the standard auto industry sources. except for a small number of markets the penetration of Tesla is so low that adequate samples are very hard to come by anyway. The Bay area of California will work if there is a way to find data, as will Norway. Few others work. I have recently found aggregate data for a number of US states, but they are the standard auto registration stuff available with rough matching from state DOT, then matches with various publicly purchasable geo-coding (e.g. Prizm) and matching to various DM lists. That data is expensive and still offers only minimal accuracy, but sometimes with great precision, which only makes the poor samples more irritating.

There are a handful of US observations that are clear even without ability to quote the data explicitly here:

1. Tesla owners are more diverse in terms of wealth and income than are those of any other brand available to compare. In other words many Tesla owners spend far more on a Tesla than they ever have done before on a car. Hint: Look at any lists you can find of cars traded for a Tesla. Next: look at anything like auction data of vehicles traded for Tesla. neitehr is easy to find, but the data exists. The US is easier in that respect than seems to be any other market.
2. The loyalty and satisfaction data are the only things that have been widely public. Hint: Try the surveyors. There is quite dramatic difference inn satisfaction level of Tesla based on prior vehicles owned, occupation and educational background.
3. If you really want to get data the easiest way is to create your own survey, including a good deal of demographic data that you agree to hold confidential. You should agree to report aggregate findings.
4. One of the big surprises is tesla owner age distribution. The diversity is surprising, but mostly because there is a huge split between several categories that do not obviously equate to early adopters.
5. In sum: the technically aware groups of engineers, IT professionals, technical professions are far more prevalent than most people guess. That translates to a deeper technical knowledge of the vehicle than is common among even such technically oriented brands as Porsche. This tendency is generalised, not really typical cult-like behaviour, as demonstrated by the distribution of Mobile OS at even splits of IOS and Android with a surprising number of Windows phone added in, and, in Northeastern Europe only, a handful of Symbion. You'll need to do a bit of searching to find those data sources but they are available.

BTW, it really helps to be multi-lingual to find some of this stuff.

I wish I could quote sources directly. Be assured that a number of auto manufacturers are studying this phenomenon very closely. If you have contacts among any of the more enthused builders of EV's or PHEV's you'll know the right people to ask. Tesla itself probably will not help. A couple of universities are involved including the University of Michigan, obviously.

Tim Jackson said:

Greetings,

I am a Marketing MBA student researching Tesla and the Model S. I was wondering if anyone here knew of a place to find actual demographic statistics that are citable in a masters level paper. I have enjoyed reading the forums about demographics, but I need something a bit more statistical. If anyone can point me in a direction, it would be great.

Also, any blogs or interviews with Elon or other execs discussing demographics, consumer behavior, target marketing/segmentation would also be helpful!!

Thanks so much!! Tesla owners are the best, such a great community. My next purchase WILL be a Tesla, I just have to land a job to afford one.... Anyone hiring in their Marketing department??

Thanks in advance guys!!

Tim Jackson

Click to expand...

We have an ongoing EV owner/lessee survey. 348 responses at the moment. 72 of them have a Model S, and a handful have a Roadster. Happy to provide you with data once the survey is further along. PM me.

Survey: Reminder: Complete This Survey If You Drive An Electric Car! | CleanTechnica

Tim Jackson said:

I am a Marketing MBA student researching Tesla and the Model S. I was wondering if anyone here knew of a place to find actual demographic statistics that are citable in a masters level paper. I have enjoyed reading the forums about demographics, but I need something a bit more statistical. If anyone can point me in a direction, it would be great.

Click to expand...

Google.