Dog Friendly Car Unleashed by Honda

Honda showed off the Dog Friendly Honda Element concept car at the New York Auto Show today, with integrated dog amenities and safety equipment including restraints, hardy fabrics, an access ramp, a cushioned bed, a spill-resistant water bowl and dedicated doggie cooling system.

Appealing to the broad spectrum of dog owners who increasingly treat their pets like family definitely separates this model of the Element from the pack.

Honda has been developing its pet-themed marketing since 2005, when it launched a dog friendly concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. Soon after, the company launched Honda Dog in Japan, pitching cars and its Travel Dog line of pet accessories to its 1.5 million monthly visitors.

Not to be outdone, Toyota also has a Japanese website for dog owners featuring the Corolla called C Loves Dog.

Closer to home, DogCars.com helps American pet parents choose the best pet-friendly cars, by reviewing new models specifically from a dog owner's perspective.

Toyota and Honda Dog-Friendly Cars

Honda's dog-friendly concept car introduced in 2005 has evolved into a comprehensive marketing campaign that is creating sales in Japan, according to Reuters ("Dog-lovers of the world unite...around Honda," by Chang Ran-Kim, Reuters, May 29, 2008).

Honda Dog uses its 1.5 million monthly website visitors to sell cars and its Travel Dog line of pet accessories.

Not to be outdone, Toyota also has a Japanese website for dog owners featuring the Corolla called C Loves Dog.

In case you don't read Japanese, it's still fun to click around these sites. I assume it's just a matter of time until the U.S. versions come out as the auto industry aggressively seeks to differentiate products while appealing to broad demographics.

Closer to home, DogCars.com helps American pet parents choose the best pet-friendly cars, by reviewing new models specifically from a dog owner's perspective.

Read all posts about dog cars.




 

Pet Business News

VCA Antech, Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF) reported a profitable first quarter of 2008 as it continues to acquire animal hospitals and grow its laboratory business. Although elective procedures tend to diminish when consumers cut back, this strength highlights the fact that the bar is moving; some services once considered elective are now being considered necessities. VCA seems to be on its way to becoming the managed care company for pets, primarily dogs and cats.

Utilizing the pet industry to differentiate a business in a crowded market has been a popular strategy the last few years. Check out Peninsula House Hound dog-friendly real estate website, with features like 'Search Homes Near Dog Parks'.

Anyone watch Nascar this weekend? Dog food marketing is big business in the U.S., and Mars, Inc.'s Pedigree brand is prominently featured on Kyle Busch's number 18 car. This sports sponsorship by Mars draws an average of about 6 million viewers per race, according to ACNielsen ratings for April and May of 2008. But the company didn't stop there; Mars' Nascar marketing campaign is directly tied to its adoption drive, illustrating the importance of the adoption channel for generating long-term brand loyalty in the pet sector.
 

Dog Friendly Cars

These days, consumers are taking pets into consideration when making large purchasing decisions, and the market has responded.

Last year, home and garden stores and catalogues, as well as custom home builders, ramped up marketing to pet owners, and now, a new company helps dog owners buy a new car.

DogCars.com reviews new automobiles from a dog owners perspective. Dog friendly cars tend to be roomy: SUVs, trucks, wagons, hatchbacks and crossovers, and there are some pleasant surprises on the site like the Suzuki Forenza and Honda Fit reviews.

Surveys indicate up to 50% of dog owners consider a pet's needs when buying a new car.

[Update Jan 2008] DogCars.com is seeking advertisers for its new website. Check them out to reach a niche market of high income pet owners in the market for a new car.

Read all posts about dog cars.

  

The Pet Economy

BusinessWeek dedicates its August cover story to Americans' spending spree on pets. The article has lots of great pet industry statistics. For instance half of all dog owners consider the pet's comfort when buying a car.

The Pet Economy, by Diane Brady and Christopher Palmeri, BusinessWeek, August 6 2007.
 

Honda Introduces Pet Friendly Cars

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Honda Motor Co. will unveil a minivan designed for dog owners later this month at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. [Update: Honda Dog Website Launched]

The concept car, currently being tested for consumer reaction, includes amenities like a built in dog dashboard carrier, washable seats, a third seat row that reconfigures into a holding pen for larger dogs, and tire treads shaped like paw prints.

Honda will also introduce the "Travel Dog" line of car accessories in Japan, including a $440 "pet cargo cover" that pulls out into a dog bed, according to the newspaper.

Source: "Honda Caters to Japan's Pet Population Boom," by Jathon Sapsford, The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 5, 2005

Related Posts:
Aug 17, 2007 Dog Friendly Car Reviews by DogCars.com
 

Pet Evac Roundup

A rapid understanding and acceptance after the horrific aftermath of Katrina on people and pets has resulted in equally rapid movement to make things better.

In the face of Rita, preventive action was taken by informing people to get out of town and bring their pets. It has been widely reported, on CNN, the BBC, RAI Italy and the Financial Times among others, that cars evacuating Texas are full of pets this time around, unlike Katrina where many people left their pets assuming they'd be back in a couple of days.

But most hopeful is the legislation sponsored by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif), Barney Frank (D-Mass) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn) that would condition state and local disaster preparedness plans on having provisions for companion and service animals. Read more here.


Related Posts:
PetSmart and FEMA
No-pet policy is 'a lousy plan'
Lesson for FEMA: feed the dog
Pets and hurricane Katrina
The dog as part of the family