According to an article penned by the Sydney Morning Herald's Ben Zachariah, postcodes seem to be a predictor of the sorts of cars that you may own. Read Ben's article and answer the following questions relating to CB theory.

Maps of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane detail the most popular cars registered in each postcode - but it's bad news for electric vehicle advocates.

Ben Zachariah Links to an external site. 08:1017 October 2022

A new study has revealed which are the most popular vehicles registered in major Australian capital cities.

Audit and financial advisory group KPMG has detailed what types of cars are preferred by residents of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane based on postcode - with one vehicle making the cut despite not being on sale locally for almost two years.

The Holden Commodore - which hasn't been offered here since Holden closed its doors in late 2020 Links to an external site.- remains one of the popular cars registered in Australia cities, alongside the Toyota HiLux, Toyota Corolla, Toyota LandCruiser, and the Mazda 3.

The study shows the Corolla dominates the Greater Sydney area, with the Commodore and LandCruiser more popular along the outer edges, while the Mazda 3 is the car of choice in some of Sydney's northern suburbs and outer east.

The Corolla is also the preferred means of transport for those living close to Brisbane's CBD, while those outside of the city far and away prefer the LandCruiser, with some areas in the west and northwest tipping the popularity contest to the Commodore.

In Melbourne it's a different story, with the Commodore being the most-registered car in the outer suburbs, while the inner suburbs prefer the Corolla.

There's a little more diversity in Victoria, with some pockets choosing the Camry, and the areas closer to Melbourne's centre leaning towards the Volkswagen Golf and Mazda 3.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, from the more than 20 million registered vehicles, the average age of the country's registered fleet is approximately 10.6 years.

The maps from KPMG roughly correlate with sales data from a decade ago.

Stepping back in time to 2011, the Mazda 3, Holden Commodore, Toyota Corolla, Holden Cruze, and Hyundai i30 took out the top five new-car sales spots respectively.

It wasn't until 2012 when the HiLux rocketed to second position behind the Mazda 3, while the Corolla, Commodore, and Cruze took out the remaining spots, just edging out the i30.

These latest findings clearly show a preference for smaller cars in inner city areas, while those in outer suburbs choose larger vehicles with big engines - indicating a potential challenge for those proposing a switch to zero-emissions cars.

The maps were created for the report Accelerating local electric vehicle uptake where it matters, and highlights the point that Australian motorists outside of city centres tend to gravitate towards bigger cars with large engines.

Up until this point, most electric vehicles on sale have mostly been smaller models, such as the Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3. Despite being almost a decade old, larger battery-powered cars like the Tesla Model S still demand a premium on the used-car market.

Assuming the average age of cars registered doesn't change dramatically, it's likely going to be the mid 2030s before the majority of Australian motorists make the switch to zero-emissions cars - a decade after electric SUVs and pick-ups go on sale here.

Question Two (11%) Consumption, a walk on the dark side

1. Discuss the consumer policy issues involving sustainability and greenwashing. Given the high levels of resources and scarcity concerning electric vehicles, and difficulty in disposing of battery residues, could the EV motivation be misplaced (5 marks).

2. The way that women are depicted in marketing communications leads to allegations that women are encouraged to loathe their appearances, especially by using models who are really slender and with beautiful complexions. What are the difference approaches a typical consumer behaviourist and a transformative consumerist might differ in their approaches to investigating this criticism. Be specific in your statements. Use examples to demonstrate your understanding of this issue. (6 marks)