Motor firms fail to appeal to over 50s

Car manufacturers were today accused of being out of touch with older audiences, as a poll of 6,500 over 50s motorists by Saga Insurance found that just one percent felt cars were designed with their needs in mind. The research coincides with the release of the latest UK car sales data, which revealed that sales plunged to a new low ahead of the March plate change.

The top priorities for over 50s motorists are reliability (77%), price (57%) and safety (48%). The latest technological features such as lane assist and automatic braking, were in contrast a priority for just 12% of drivers. When asked which age group car manufacturers have in mind when designing cars nowadays – 39% of over 50s say 35-44 year olds, while 29% of respondents say 24-34 year olds, despite such groups accounting for just six and nine percent of new car sales respectively.

Cars from the 1960’s, followed by those from the 1950’s are considered the nation’s favourite styles, with those over 50 much more likely to prefer the styling of the classic Mini Cooper and Ford Anglia, than more modern cars.

Aston spoke to Jeremy Taylor, motoring editor at Saga Magazine to discuss how car manufacturers today are out of touch with older buyers, despite the fact that over 50s dominate new car sales.