The Detroit Free Press reports on new data that shows that those customers shopping for cars are turning more and more away from GM and Chrysler and toward Ford, largely because Ford has not accepted federal bailout funds and is thus viewed as a more stable company that is likely to be around in the long run:
 

Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore., said his research shows that the percentage of people who list Ford as a top brand to shop increased 12 points during the first quarter of this year compared with last year.

“It indicates that Ford really dodged a bullet,” Spinella said.

Spinella said Ford is mostly attracting buyers who previously preferred to buy GM and Chrysler vehicles, but are worried about the possibility of those companies filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Last Friday, Tustin, Calif.-based AutoPacific said only 3% of Americans participating in a recent online survey were unaware that GM and Chrysler had received billions of dollars in federal loans. It also said 72% of respondents were more likely to buy a Ford vehicle.

Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, said the number of visitors who shopped for Ford vehicles during the first three months of the year increased 12% compared with the same year-ago period. Meanwhile, the number shopping for GM and Chrysler vehicles declined 19% and 15%, respectively, during the same period.

This data would seem to support the argument from GM and Chrysler that if they are forced into bankruptcy, that will further drive consumers away from buying cars while they restructure and further depress the industry. As the Messenger reported earlier this week, a survey from Kelly Blue Book likewise showed that a large percentage of car buyers would not buy a car from those companies if they declare bankruptcy.