Thanks to the recession, consumers are questioning their brand loyalty for just about everything. People who once faithfully bought one brand of paper towels or detergent are switching to lower-cost, generic versions to save money. These brand name concessions seem small, but what if the downturn coincided with your time to buy a new car — could you be faithful to your brand of choice?

Sure, when it comes down to it, a car is just a car — it gets you from point A to point B, and so, serves its purpose. Still, others would argue that, today, cars aren't just the things we drive — they become extensions and statements of who we are and what we believe. To a certain extent, some might view their car's brand with the same staunch loyalty with which they view their political party affiliation.

Still, over the course of the past year, this is all changing. Only about 20 percent of car shoppers stayed with the same brand when they purchased a new vehicle, whereas in the past, nearly four out of five American car shoppers were faithful to their car brand as repeat customers for years — or even across generations. So, tell me, how much does your car's brand matter to you?

Source: Getty
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