1. From the standpoint of an automobile company, what sources of information in this article offer secondary data?

2. Suggest two or three other sources of data that might be of interest to auto companies interested in forecasting demand.

3. Online or at your library, look for information about recent trends in SUV purchases. Report what you learned, and forecast whether SUV sales are likely to recover or continue their decline. What role do gas prices play in your forecast?

Major hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 damaged oil rigs and refineries, contributing to a spike in oil prices. Some felt those events were the long-expected trigger that would kill off demand for SUVs and other gas-guzzling vehicles, but they were only partly right. According to data from Automotive News, sales of SUVS had already been falling before these events, and automakers had been shifting ad dollars away from these products. Before the hurricanes, CNW Market Research noted that consumers had for the first time placed fuel economy ahead of performance when ranking factors for choosing a new vehicle. The National Automobile Dealers Association however, surveyed consumers and learned that price was most important, followed by make and model, performance, and fuel economy. General Motors gathers data from shoppers who visit websites such as http://kbb.com to look up information.