Some 35 percent of younger first-time vehicle buyers (age 18-30) consider the internet their most important tool for car-buying information, far more than those citing TV (8.2 percent), magazines (4.4 percent), newspapers (3.6 percent) and radio (1.1 percent), according to a new survey from the Polk Center for Automotive Studies, writes Internet Retailer. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents said they made their first car purchase without any influence from family and friends.

"The internet's relevance in the 18-30-year age group has reached critical mass and is completely reconfiguring how car companies need to reach out to first-time buyers," says Polk managing director Lonnie Miller. Podcasts and video-on-demand will soon create new marketing opportunities for carmakers, according to Miller.

"Harnessing mobile media technology will be the automotive industry's most important marketing challenge - and opportunity - in the next decade," Miller adds.