Did The Auto Market Determine The Presidential Election Outcome?

I'm a little behind on my news feeds, so file this one under day late/dollar short, but according to a recent release by Kelley Blue Book, automotive brand and segment preference somewhat correlates to presidential candidate preference. Rick Wainschel, senior VP at KBB, makes the fairly obvious observation that "Consumers' values impact their purchasing decisions and reflect
their preferences in political leaders."

Not surprisingly, Senator John McCain rated high amongst luxury vehicle owners and large truck and SUV owners. According to the KBB study:

"Republican rallies often promote the idea of "drill, baby, drill," which may link gas-guzzling truck and SUV owners to McCain. On the other hand, Obama has stressed the importance of putting more money toward wind, solar, and other
alternative forms of energy, which may relate to his popularity among hybrid owners."

Eight years ago, Wainschel says the survey predicted George W. Bush would take the lead over Al Gore, while in 2004, the results revealed President Bush would win over Senator John Kerry.

Well, with even the mighty Toyota's sales trending drastically downward, if the auto market actually correlated with the political market, we'd be foregoing a new president and just driving the old one for a few more years.

Thankfully that's not the case.