Shell Study Reveals America's Autopias
18 Abril 2005 - 7:01AM
PR Newswire (US)
Shell Study Reveals America's Autopias New Orleans, St. Louis and
Kansas City, Mo., Head List of Top Metropolitan Areas for Vehicles
HOUSTON, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- How happy is your car? If your
automobile could talk, it might tell you it wants frequent trips to
the car wash, traffic-free commutes, and fill-ups with high-quality
gasoline. And if your automobile lives in New Orleans, then it's
probably very happy indeed. According to the "Shell America's
Autopias" study released today by Shell Oil Products US, New
Orleans is the city where cars would most want to live if they had
their way. Shell believes using high-quality gasolines is an
important aspect of overall car care, and the company commissioned
the "Shell America's Autopias" study to better understand how
vehicles are cared for and maintained in the United States. The
Shell study evaluated the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas
(MSAs) in the contiguous United States(1) and found that New
Orleans is "America's Autopia," followed by St. Louis(2); Kansas
City, Mo.(3); Atlanta; and Phoenix. The study measured a variety of
factors to identify which metro areas are best suited for
automobiles, including traffic congestion, road conditions,
motorists' use of quality gasolines and motor oils, and routine car
maintenance practices. "The Shell study showed that some cities
clearly have an edge in how vehicle-friendly they are, and New
Orleans topped the list, thanks to the time and effort local
drivers invest in caring for their vehicles," said Mary Jackson, an
automotive expert and author of the best-selling book "Car Smarts."
"A vehicle is typically the second largest purchase that most
consumers make, so it's important to protect that investment. And
while motorists may not be able to control traffic, road conditions
and other things that affect the wear and tear of their
automobiles, they can take an active role in protecting their cars
by performing routine maintenance and using high-quality products,
such as gasolines that meet TOP TIER Detergency Standards." The
Criteria for an Autopia or Car Care Utopia To determine the
rankings, researchers from Decision Analyst, Inc., a Texas-based
independent research firm, scored and ranked each MSA in three
primary areas that can impact the overall care and operation of a
vehicle -- quality of fuel and motor oil, routine car care and
maintenance, and road conditions and congestion. Within each of
these key areas, the research organization weighed the following
variables equally to determine each metropolitan area's level of
car care and identify America's Autopias: * Quality of Fuel and
Motor Oil. Variables included the percentage of gasoline sold by
retailer based on consumer survey data, specifically taking into
account those retailers that sell TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline, as
well as the amount of high-mileage, semi-synthetic and
full-synthetic oil that is purchased. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
is a new standard for gasoline that surpasses minimum government
standards for gasoline detergency additives. According to BMW,
General Motors, Honda and Toyota, the automakers that developed the
standard, TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline will help keep vehicle
engines clean and reduce deposit-related problems, helping vehicles
achieve optimal performance as well as reduced emissions. * Routine
Car Care and Maintenance. Variables included the number of
maintenance facilities (gasoline stations, car washes and oil
change facilities) in the market per vehicle and the amount of
money spent at these facilities. Purchases of routine car care
products and services, such as oil changes and tire rotation and
replacement, also were taken into consideration. * Road Conditions
and Congestion. Variables included the physical conditions of
roadways and the amount and duration of traffic congestion within
the metro area, which can have an impact on the wear and tear of a
vehicle. Also included in the analysis was the percentage of roads
in disrepair in urban areas and the amount of money that is spent
to improve them. The 'Big Easy' Eases to the Top New Orleans' top
ranking in the Shell survey was based in part on its No. 1 ranking
in the quality of fuel and motor oil category and the fact that
local residents spend more on car care than residents in most other
areas. According to The NPD Group/Motor Fuels Index, 54.3 percent
of gasoline purchased in the city was sold by a brand that has been
certified as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. Additionally, nearly 49
percent of all motor oil purchased is in a premium category, either
high-mileage, semi-synthetic or full-synthetic motor oil, with the
remainder of motor oil sales falling into the standard,
conventional oils category. The city ranked third among all MSAs
for its spending on car maintenance products and services, such as
oil filters, tires, oil changes, tire rotations and other car care
services. And while the Big Easy ranked No. 21 for road conditions
and congestion out of the 50 MSAs studied, it was not enough to
unseat the city as America's Autopia. In general, the "Shell
America's Autopias" study indicates that New Orleans-area residents
take better care of their automobiles than drivers in other markets
by doing simple things like changing the oil, rotating tires, and
using gasolines with added detergency and high-quality lubricants.
America's Top 10 Autopias According to the Shell study, the top 10
metropolitan areas in America for vehicles are: Metropolitan
Statistical Area "Shell America's Autopias" Index Score New Orleans
100 St. Louis 85 Kansas City, Mo. 84 Atlanta 82 Phoenix 74
Nashville, Tenn. 71 Portland, Ore. 68 Salt Lake City 68
Raleigh-Durham, N.C. 66 Seattle 64 Nearly every top-10 MSA also
ranked in the top 10 in at least one of the three areas that were
studied. New Orleans, Kansas City and Las Vegas have a higher
percentage of residents purchasing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline and
high-quality motor oils. St. Louis, Nashville and New Orleans
ranked at the top of the car maintenance category, while Atlanta,
Phoenix, and Cleveland -- not a top-10 city in the overall study --
scored the best in the road conditions category. Measurement
Criteria To determine each city's level of car care, the Shell
study examined variables in each of the three categories, which
were compiled and analyzed using advanced modeling techniques to
form the final "Shell America's Autopias" Index(4). Decision
Analyst then ranked the 50 largest MSAs according to the index. Key
measurement criteria necessary to rank highly in the study included
a high percentage of TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline sales and premium
motor oil sales, a high percentage of car care facilities per
vehicle, good road conditions and little traffic congestion. An MSA
is defined as a geographic area that consists of a city with a
population of 50,000 or more people, including suburban communities
adjacent to the city. The Shell study utilized data collected by
the U.S. Census Bureau, the Surface Transportation Policy
Project/Federal Highways Administration, The NPD Group, Inc., and
the Texas Transportation Institute. The Shell Approach to Quality
Fuels The study looked at a variety of factors to define a city as
a utopia for automobiles, but to Shell, one of the most important
characteristics is overall car care. Shell believes practicing
routine vehicle maintenance and choosing quality gasolines are
important steps to protect what is likely to be the largest or
second largest purchase a consumer will make in their lifetime.
"Most people don't realize that all gasolines are not the same, and
when choosing a gasoline, consumers should look for a high-quality
fuel with added cleaning power," said Jackson. "Shell gasolines
have more cleaning power than required by minimum government
standards to help keep your car's engine free of carbon deposit
build-up that can negatively affect an engine's performance." Four
of the world's top automakers -- BMW, Honda, General Motors and
Toyota -- agree that carbon deposits can decrease performance of a
vehicle's engine and increase emissions. To raise the bar on fuel
quality, these auto manufacturers recently introduced the new TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline standard, which requires added detergency
above the minimum government standards. In addition to exceeding
minimum government standards, all Shell gasolines meet the TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline standard. However, Shell V-Power(R) premium
gasoline, the company's most advanced fuel ever, exceeds TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline standards and is specially formulated to
actively clean your engine as you drive. Shell V-Power can clean up
deposits that minimum detergency gasolines can leave behind. For
more information on Shell gasolines, please log on to
http://www.shell.com/us/vpower , or to find a Shell station near
you, please log on to http://www.localshell.com/ . Shell Oil
Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the
refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, and has a network
of nearly 6,600 branded gasoline stations in the Western United
States. Shell Oil Company is a 50 percent owner of Motiva
Enterprises LLC, along with Saudi Refining, Inc., which refines and
markets branded products through 9,400 stations in the Eastern and
Southern United States. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the
Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (NYSE:RDNYSE:SC). For more
information, please visit http://www.shell.com/ . Editor's Note:
For additional information on how all of the MSAs ranked and the
methodology used to develop the "Shell America's Autopias" study,
please visit
http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?cid=69&fuseaction=external.docume
ntlist&typeID=4682 . (1) As recognized by the U.S. Census
Bureau (2) The St. Louis MSA includes St. Louis, Mo., and East St.
Louis, Ill. (3) The Kansas City MSA includes Kansas City, Mo., and
Kansas City, Kan. (4) An index is a numerical scale providing for
the relative ranking of the MSAs according to their performance in
the relevant category. In this study, all raw model scores were
rebased so the score for the top-performing MSA in any category is
100, with all other MSA scores being proportionately rescored.
DATASOURCE: Shell Oil Products US CONTACT: Laurie Dent,
+1-214-303-6010, or Mark Crouser, +1-214-303-6002, both of
Fleishman-Hillard, for Shell Oil Products US; or Media Line for
Shell Oil Products US, +1-713-241-4544 Web site:
http://www.shellus.com/ http://www.localshell.com/
http://www.shell.com/us/vpower
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