According to the latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research studies conducted on the company's top-rated Web site, the vast majority (nearly 90 percent) of car shoppers say they are concerned about the future of our environment. Among the survey respondents, 80 percent believe that individuals should make lifestyle changes in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Furthermore, 75 percent of shoppers say they have made changes to further the betterment of the environment, with the top lifestyle changes mentioned being recycling (54 percent), cutting back on driving (46 percent) and purchasing a fuel-efficient car (31 percent).

In an effort to protect the environment, 42 percent of consumers participating in the Kelley Blue Book study are willing to accept cuts in their standard of living, while 39 percent are willing to pay higher prices. In addition, 29 percent are willing to pay higher taxes.

With an increasing push for more eco-friendly cars, consumers expressed interest in a resource for more information on 'green' automotive technologies. According to the study, consumers were interested in articles and news on environmentally-friendly cars, a tool for finding the most fuel-efficient vehicle to meet their needs, a place to share comments and feedback on vehicles, and tools that calculate and factor fuel economy.

"Gas prices have created a permanent shift in the minds of American consumers and more importantly car-shoppers," said Rick Wainschel, senior vice president of marketing and analytics for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "KBB Green provides new-car shoppers with the information to help make this important choice by providing resources for shoppers to discover their options and learn what both fellow consumers and the automotive experts think about these options."

These latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research studies were conducted on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com among 619 shoppers during April 2008 and among 637 shoppers during June 2008.