You work for an automobile manufacturer that offers a complete line of vehicles, from full-size pickups and luxury sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) to economy cars and hybrids. After analyzing the recent changes in consumers' buying habits, your manager wants you to create a marketing information system for the firm. The system should help the firm identify early trends in the marketing environment.

Create a 300- to 400-word response answering the following:

1. Identify an automobile type from the line of vehicles.

2. Identify the variables in the marketing environment that need to be monitored to recognize and predict trends.

3. Explain the need to monitor trends for each of the identified environmental variables.

4. Describe how you will monitor these trends.

5. In addition, describe the role of marketing research in understanding how consumers' perception of these trends impacts their selection of this automobile.