As some credit unions continue to shift their focus towardscourting younger potential members, baby boomers still have moneyto spend and shouldn't be counted out.

Jeffry Martin, president of auto buying CUSO Autoland Inc., backed that observation up by looking at salesactivity at the Chatsworth, Calif.-based firm.

He said recent data showedthat boomers represented 42% of Autoland's sales while Millennialsonly represented 10%.

“While most industries are heavily focused on influencingconsumer behavior of the Millennial generation, the majority of today's U.S. auto salesstill rest with baby boomers,” Martin said.

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Autoland serves more than 200 credit unions nationwide,representing more than eight million credit union members. The CUSOsaid it has delivered more than $1.8 billion in direct auto loans to credit union partners over the past 10 years.

During a recent auto lending symposium conducted by the California and NevadaCredit Union Leagues and the Northwest Credit Union Association,Martin said he urged the audience to strike a balance betweenboomers and Millennials.

“Our message is to structure their loan programs, servicecapabilities and marketing to appeal to both groups with anunderstanding that boomers currently have greater purchase powerand credit quality,” Martin noted.

Consumers in the 55- to 64-year-old age range are most likely tobuy a new car, according to a study, Marketing Implications ofthe Changing Age Composition of Vehicle Buyers in the U.S.,from the University of Michigan's Transportation ResearchInstitute.

Coming in first was the 45- to 54-year old age bracket that alsoincludes boomers, the data showed.