buying behavior towards big car-project report
DESCRIPTION
marketingTRANSCRIPT
A
PROJECT REPORT ON
“BUYING BEHAVIOR TOWARDS BIG CARS”
Submitted to
In requirement of partial fulfillment of Master of
Business Administration (MBA)
Submitted on
Submitted by
PREFACE
As a part of the curriculum of the MBA Program of the _________________, the
students are required to undergo project work in addition to their theoretical study
so as to enable them to have the knowledge of the practical aspect of the Business
Administration.
As students of management it is learning experience to analyze an industry. It is
the most essentials tools for us to expose our skill as a future responsible
managerial post. So, I decided to take a project on automobile industry. I chose big
car in automobile industry for the project. It helps us to develop our skill &
confidence to do better in all respect in management fields.
The knowledge of management is incomplete without knowing the practical
application of the theories studied. This grand project provides golden opportunity
for all students especially when the management students do not have perfect
understanding of the working of unit. The report contains the detail information
about comparative study of consumer behavior towards purchase of big cars. What
are the factors taken into account while purchasing big car.
I have tried my best to get the necessary information for project which includes
secondary as well as primary data.
ACKOWLEDGEMENT
This report has been submitting in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the
award of M.B.A. from _____________________________________
It is a universal fact that for study of a project in depth, I need the support of many
people right from the stage of conceiving the idea to completion of report. It is
difficult for a single person to do the job efficiently without interaction &
involvement of others.
I take this opportunity to thank ________________________our director
____________ and our inspiration our guides, _______________________ For
giving me Valuable Guidance and providing facilities to successfully complete my
Grand Project.
I am grateful to other faculty members of ___________for their support whenever
required. Discussions with friends also have served to provide sought after
information. I am thankful to all our batch mates.
Finally I am thankful to my parents and Lord Almighty without whose blessings
tasks are incomplete.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
SR. No. PARTICULAR PAGENO.
1 Executive Summary 5-7
2 Introduction 8-14
3 Time line of Indian Automobile industry 15-16
4 Companies production facility in India 17
5 Market players and their products 18-29
6 Future plans of major market players 30-40
7 Consumer behavior model 41
8 Research Methodology 44-46
9 Data Analysis and interpretation 47-61
10 Findings 62
11 Recommendations 65
12 Limitations
E
66
13 Bibliography 67
14 Questionnaire 68
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Indian economy is expected to grow by 6 percent in the current fiscal and slip
further during the next year said the Economist Intelligence unit, a research arm of
UK – based financial magazine- The Economist. With a population of over one billion
and an economic growth at 9% per annum. India is the hub for business. The
automobile sector is one of the core industries of the Indian economy as it contributes
4% of our GDP and 5% of total industrial output, but it is set to grow much faster than
the rest of the economy.
Until the mid 1990s, automobile industry in India consisted of just a handful of local
companies with small capacities and obsolete technologies. Nevertheless, after the
sector was thrown open to foreign direct investment in 1996, some of the global
majors moved in and, by 2002 Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, General Motors, Ford and
Mitsubishi set up their manufacturing base.
Over the past 7-8 years, the country has seen the launch of several domestic and
foreign models of passenger cars, multi-utility vehicles (MUVs) and commercial
vehicles and a robust growth in the production of all kinds of vehicles. Moreover,
owing to its low cost high quality manufacturing, India has also emerged as a
significant outsourcing hub for auto components and auto engineering design, rivaling
Thailand.
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In India there are many automobile companies from different countries and there is a
very tough competition between these companies and this is going to be more
tougher as many new cars of these companies are going to be launched in coming
years. For marketers it is a big investment game where they can only reduce their cost
by acquiring customers and retaining them. To enable the marketers with a ready
reckoner to understand the factors, which influence customers while buying a car, the
study was undertaken.
The project starts with the history of automobile where there were only two market
players and it points out the reason which leads to the development and enormous
growth of the Indian automobile industry. It also states the recession effect on the
Indian automobile industry in the year 2008.
The project states the major players in the Indian market, time line of Indian
automobile industry, there production facilities situated at various places and their
future plans. The Engle, Blackwell and Miniard model of consumer behavior is also
used in the project in order to study the consumer buying process from information
search to outcomes of the purchase.
In order to know the buying behavior and main motivation behind the purchase of car,
an exploratory research was conducted with the dealer and a questionnaire was
prepared for the customer with a sample size of 120.
After analyzing the data collected from respondents it was found that owners of this
segment prefer to buy the car which has very good brand image, superior engineering
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and which carries a high degree of reliability. For some it is a way to show their status
and for many it is a luxury. Factors like Income, gender, age, city and type of family
plays an important role in influencing customers while buying a car. As far as type of
family is concerned, this study takes only nuclear family. There are two reasons for
this. First is that it would be difficult to locate a joint family, as they are on the
decline. The second is that it would be operationally infeasible to map the purchase
behavior in a joint family because of its inherent complexity and time constraints.
What is crucial to the marketer here are the number of alternatives that a customer
evaluates or considers. The greater the number of additional alternative available in
the market, the expected probability to switch to the other is higher.
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INTRODUCTION
For sixty years since India’s independence, the Indian car market was dominated by
two localized versions of ancient European designs – the Morris Oxford, known as the
Ambassador, and a old Fiat. This lack of product activity in the Indian market was
mainly due to the Indian government's complex regulatory system that effectively
banned foreign-owned operations. Within this system (referred to informally as the
"license raj"), any Indian firm that wanted to import technology or products needed a
license/permit from the government. The difficulty of getting these licenses stifled
automobile and component imports, creating a low volume high cost car industry that
was inefficient, unprofitable, and technologically obsolete. The two dominant
products Ambassador and Fiat, although customized to the poor road conditions in
India, were based on a stale design concept (with outdated features), and were also
fuel inefficient.
Then came the abolition of license raj. In 1993, the government followed up its
liberalization measures with significant reductions in the import duty on automobile
components. These measures have spurred the growth of the Indian economy in
general, and the automotive industry in particular. Since 1993, the automotive
industry has been experiencing growth rates of above 25%.
The automobile industry in India- the tenth largest in the world with an annual
production of approximately 2 million units – is expected to become one of the major
global automotive industries in the coming years. A number of domestic companies
produce automobiles in India and the growing presence of multinational investment,
too, has led to an increase in overall growth. Following the economic reforms of 1993
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the Indian automotive industry has demonstrated sustained growth as a result of
increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions.
It is expected that by 2030, the Indian car market will be the 3 rd largest car market
across the globe. Small cars seem to be ruling the roost in the Indian automobile
market with over 7.5 lakh small cars being sold in India in 2009-10. The main
encouraging factors for the success story of the car market in India are the increase in
the opportunity for new investments, the rise in the GDP rate, the growing per capita
income, massive population, and high ownership capacity.
The liberalization policies followed by the Indian government had been inviting
foreign investors and manufacturers to participate in the car market in India. The
recent trend within the new generation to get work in the software based sector has
led to the rise in the income level and change in the lifestyle which has further led to
the increase in the demand for different varieties of cars among them. Moreover, there
are many financing companies providing easy car loans at reasonable interest rates
and affordable installments.
The car Market in India is crowded with all varieties of car models like the small cars,
mid-size cars, luxury cars, super luxury cars, and sports utility vehicles. Initially the
most popular car model dominating the Car Market in India was the Ambassador,
which however today gave way to numerous new models like Maruti, Fiat, Hyundai,
BMW, and many others. Moreover, there are many other models of cars in the
pipeline, to be launched in the car market in India.
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Estimations for the year 2010
In 2010 estimated rate of growth of India auto industry is going to be 9 percent. Auto
industry in India has been hit hard by ongoing global financial recession. Sales figures
of India automobile industry for December 2008 have shown devastating after effects
of global financial slowdown.
However, in 2009 as there are certain factors working in its favor. India is blessed
with a middle class, which is getting economically stronger with every passing day.
This class is being touted as potential consumers for India auto industry in years to
come.
Indian economy has been, more or less, able to withstand tremors of global financial
meltdown. Even though its rate of growth has slowed down considerably, there are
hopes of an economic revival. Work force of auto industry of India is relatively well
trained. All these factors indicate that there could be a decent future for India auto
industry in days to come.
India automobile market is likely to be in good shape in 2010. Much of this optimism
results from renewed interest being shown in India auto industry by reputed overseas
car makers. Nissan Motors, which is a well known Japanese car making company,
regards India automobile market as a global car manufacturing hub for future.
Hyundai, a major automobile establishment of South Korea, has put in large sums of
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money in India automobile market. As per its estimates, India auto industry could
become a major center for small car manufacturing organizations in future.
There are some other automobile companies of world who have shown interest in
India auto market. Major names among these are General Motors, Skoda Auto and
Mercedes-Benz. These companies have major plans lined up for India auto industry
and are likely to invest a huge amount of money in India automobile market.
A new reality is dawning in the market place. The continuous entry of new
competitors and consequent increase in competition is exploding choice for the
customers. The customer has become more discerning, more conscious of the choices
available. The customer has started demanding value for money. The companies are
learning to allow the customers to dictate specifications and quality standards.
The concept of Small cars, Sedans, Suvs and Muvs etc were alien phrases at one point
in the Indian consumer’s mind space, eliciting nothing more than bewildered
expressions and a confused “huh?” but the time has changed and consumers now
know very well about this.
According to some analysts, a family becomes a potential car customer as soon as its
annual income exceeds the price of the car.
In Indian context, a family with an annual income of Rs.2 lakh would be a potential
car customer. According to NCAER, there are 40 million households in India with
annual income between Rs.90000 and Rs.2 lakh. Only 4 percent of them own a car.
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Thus, the potential for car sales is immense. With prices of small cars coming down in
India, customers now prefer to buy new cars rather than second-hand ones. Financing
for a second-hand car is also expensive at about 14 percent for a maximum tenure of
four years, whereas the financing for new is at 8-9 percent for a tenure of 7-8 years.
The choices that a prospective car buyer has in present scenario are many and the
automobile industry has achieved a remarkable growth in the last year.
India’s car market has emerged as one of the fastest growing in the world. The
number of cars sold domestically is projected to double by 2010, and domestic
production is skyrocketing as foreign makers are setting up their own production
plants in India. The government’s 10-year plan aims to create a $145 billion auto
industry by 2016.
According to McKinsey, the auto sector’s drive to lower costs will push outsourcing.
The auto sector could be worth $375 billion by 2015, up from $65 billion in 2002.
McKinsey thinks India could capture $25 billion of this amount. Out of 400 Indian
suppliers, 80 percent have the ISO 9000 certificate—the international standard for
quality management.
The production of automobiles in India is largely aimed at local consumers. Several
Indian manufacturers also export a diverse variety of auto components. Experts
predict a sale of 4.2 million four wheeler automobiles in India by 2015. Indian
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passenger vehicle exports are also expected to rise from 170,000 in 2006 to 500,000
in 2010.
There are number of variables that are expected to play an importance role in this
process. They are as following:
Income: Cars are products that are highly priced. In India affordability might
probably be a deciding factor. As my study is based on big cars (Sedan, Suv and
Muv), people having a good amount of income can only afford to buy these segment
of cars.
Gender: Car purchase in India is one in which both husband and wife as a couple
play a role so it is therefore necessary to consider it as a variable. These days even kid
play an important role in purchase of cars.
Type of family: India has two type of families; Joint and nuclear. The purchase
process in bound to be different in these two structures of families, as the number of
influencers is going to be higher in the case of joint family. This study however takes
only nuclear families as its universe. The reasons for it are that it would be difficult to
locate a joint family, as they are on the decline. The second is that it would be
operationally infeasible to map the purchase behavior in joint family because of its
inherent complexities and time constraint.
City: The city in which the study in conducted would be influential. This is because
each city has its own unique background, cultural mix and innumerable other
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variables that would play a part in the purchase process. This study in conducted only
in one city due to time constraint.
Age: This is another variable that has to be taken into account, as it would play an
important role in purchase process.
Cars are usually high involvement purchase. In a developing country like India, it
may also be a purchase of a lifetime. Theoretically, buyers of cars in India would be
in a mode where there is high information search and final evaluation is on functional
or performance attributes. Apart from advertisement, the information could be
gathered from many other sources like the product experience, the context in which
the car is bought, the behavior and helpfulness of the dealer or salesperson and so on.
This will be generated in detail as the study progresses.
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Timeline of Indian Automobile Industry:
1897 First Person to own a car in India- Mr. Foster of M/s Cromption Greaves
Company, Mumbai
1901 First Indian to own a car in India – Jamshedji Tata
1905 First Woman to drive a car in India – Mrs. Suzanne RD Tata
1905 Fiat Motors
1911 First Taxi in India
1924 Formation of traffic police
1928 Chevrolet Motors
1942 Hindustan Motors
1944 Premier Auto Limited
1945 Tata Motors
1947 Mahindra Motors
1948 Ashok Motors
1948 Standard Motors
1974 Sipani Motors
1981 Maruti Udyog
1994 Rover Motors
1994 Mercedes Bens
1994 Opel
1995 Ford Motors
1995 Honda SIEL
1995 Reva Electric Car Company
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1995 Daewoo Motors
1996 Hyundai Motors
1997 Toyota Kirloskar Motors
1997 fiat Motors (Re-entry)
1998 San Motors
1998 Mitsubishi Motors
2001 Skoda Auto
2003 Chevrolet Motors (Re-Entry)
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Companies Production Facilities in India
Audi: Aurangabad, Maharashtra
BMW: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chevrolet: Halol, Gujarat
Fiat: Pune(Ranjangaon), Maharashtra
Ford: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
General Motors: Talegaon (Pune), Maharashtra
Honda: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Hyundai: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Mahindra: Nashik, Maharashtra, Kandivali, Igatpuri, Zaheerabadm Andhra
Pradesh and Haridwar, Uttrakhand.
Mercedes-Benz: Pune, Maharashtra
Skoda: Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Maruti Suzuki: Gurgaon, Haryana, and Manesar, Haryana
Tata: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Pimpri (Pune) Maharashtre, Jameshpur,
Jharkhand, Haridwar, Uttrakhand and Sanand, Gujarat
Toyota: Bangalore, Karnataka
Tata Nano : Sanand, Gujarat
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MARKET PLAYERS AND THEIR PRODUCTS
Maruti Suzuki
Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a probably listed automaker in India. It is a leading
four-wheeler automobile manufacturer in South Asia. Suzuki Motor Corporation of
Japan holds a majority stake in the company. It was the first company in India to
mass-produce and sell more than a million cars. It is largely credited for having
brought in an automobile revolution to India. It is the market leader in India and on 17
September 2007, Maruti Udyog was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The
company’s headquarters are in Gurgaon, Haryana (near Delhi).
Products
800, Omni, Alto, Gypsy, Swift, SX4, WagonR, Versa, Zen, Estilo, Grand Vitara,
Swift, Dzire, Eeco, Ritz, A-Star
FIAT
Fiat S.P.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino(Italian Automobile
Factory of Turin), is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer,
financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded
in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also
manufactured tanks and aircraft.
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Fiat based cars are constructed all around the world – the largest concern outside Italy
is in Brazil (best seller). It also has factories in Argentina and Poland. Fiat has a long
history of licensing its products to other countries regardless of local political or
cultural persuasion. Joint venture operations are found in France, Turkey, Egypt (with
the state owned Nasr car company), South Africa, India and China.
Products
Uno (discontinued), Palio, Palio Stile, Siena (discontinued), Siena Weekend
(discontinued), Petra (discontinued), Adventure, Fiat 500 – sold in collaboration with
Tata Motors, and Fiat Linea – sold in collaboration with Tata Motors, Grande Punto
Tata
Tata Motors Limited, formerly known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and
Locomotive Company), is a multinational corporation headquartered in Mumbai,
India. It is India’s largest passenger automobile and commercial vehicle
manufacturing company and a midsized player on the world market. It is a part of the
Tata Group, and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles. The
OICA ranked it as the world’s 20th largest automaker, based on figures for 2006.
Tata Motors was established in 1945, when the company began manufacturing
locomotives. The company manufactured its first commercial vehicle in 1954 in
collaboration with Daimler-Benz AG, which ended in 1969. Tata Motors is a dual-
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listed company traded on both the Bombay Stock Exchange, as well as on the New
York Stock Exchange. Tata Motors in 2005, was ranked among the top 10
corporations in India with an annual revenue exceeding INR 320 billion. In 2004 Tata
Motors bought Daewoo's truck manufacturing unit, now known as Tata Daewoo
Commercial Vehicle, in South Korea. It also acquired 21% stake in Hispano
Carrocera SA, giving it controlling rights in the company. Tata Motor has launched
Tata Nan with a price of Rs. 1,00,000 in January 2008.
Products
Indica, Indigo, Indigo Marina, Safari, Sumo, TL and Tata Nano.
Hyundai
Hyundai refers to a group of companies and related organizations founded by Chung
Ju-yung in South Korea. The first Hyundai company was founded in 1947 as a
construction company, and the Hyundai Group eventually became South Korea's
largest conglomerate company (chaebol).
The best well-known Hyundai organization is the Hyundai Motor Company, the
world's 6th largest automaker. Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world's largest
shipbuilder, and Hynix is a top semiconductor producer. Other companies currently or
formerly controlled by members of Chung's extended family may be loosely referred
to as a part of the Hyundai chaebol.
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Products
Santro, Getz, i-10, i-20, Accent, Verna, Sonata, Elentra, Tucson
Honda
Honda Motor Company, Limited (is a Multinational Corporation, engine
manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. The company
manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, scooters, robots, jets and jet engines,
ATV, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment,
and aeronautical and other mobile technologies.
Honda’s line of luxury cars are branded Acura in North America and Hongda in
China. More recently they have ventured into mountain bikes.
Honda is the 6th largest automobile manufacturer in the world as well as the largest
engine-maker in the world, producing more than 14 million internal combustion
engines each year.
As of August 2008, Honda surpassed Chrysler as the 4th largest automobile
manufacturer in the United States. Currently, Honda is the second largest
manufacturer in Japan behind Toyota and ahead of Nissan.
Products
Accord, City, Civic and CR-V
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Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and
is currently the world’s largest automaker. As of 2009, Toyota employs
approximately 316,000 people around the world.
In 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product Type
A engine and in 1936 its first passenger car the Toyota AA. The company was
eventually founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father’s
company Toyota Industries to create automobiles.
Toyota currently owns and operates Lexis and Scion brands and has a majority
shareholding stake in Daihatsu Motors, and minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy
Industries, Isuzu Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. The
company includes 522 subsidiaries.
Toyota is headquartered in Toyota City and Nagoya (both in Aichi), and in Tokyo. In
addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services through its
Toyota Financial Services division and also builds robots. Toyota Motor Corporation
(including Toyota Financial Services) and Toyota Industries form the bulk of the
Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.
23
Products
Qualis (discontinued) – 3rd generation Toyota Kijang, Camry – 7th generation Toyota
Camry (the latest generation Camry), Corolla – 9th generation Toyota Corolla, Innova
and Land Cruiser Prado VX – latest generation Toyota Land Cruiser (PRADO).
General Motors
General Motors Corporation (GM) (NYSE:GM), the world’s second largest
automakers, was founded in 1908 and today manufacturers cars and trucks in 34
countries. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 252,000 people in
every major region of the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140
countries. In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally under the following
brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel,
Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. Up until 2009, GM was the world’s
largest automaker, a title it held for 77 consecutive years until being surpassed by
Toyota Motor Corporation in annual sales.
Products
Tavera- rebadged Isuzu Panthaer, Forester (discontinued) – rebadged First Generation
Subaru Forester, Aveo-second Generation Daewoo Kalos sedan, Aveo UV – A fist
generaito Daewoo Kalos hatchback, optra- rebadged Daewoo Lacetti, SRV –
rebadged Daewo Lacetti, Spark – formerly Daewoo Matiz in India, and Captiva –
recent launch in India.
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Ford
The Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is an American multinational corporation and
the world’s fourth largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales, following
Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of
Detroit, the automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,
1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo
Cars of Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda of Japan and Aston Martin of England.
Ford’s former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of
India in March 2008.
Products
Escort, Ikon, fiesta, endeavour
Skoda
The origins of Skoda go back to the early 1890s where, like many long-established
car manufacturers, the company started out with the manufacture of bicycles. It was
1894, and 26-year old Václav Klement, who was a bookseller by trade in Mladá
Boleslav, in today's Czech Republic, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, was
unable to obtain the right spare parts to repair his German bicycle. Klement returned
his bicycle to the manufacturers, Seidel and Naumann, with a letter, in Czech, asking
for them to carry out repairs, only to receive a reply, in German, stating: "If you
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would like an answer to your inquiry, you should try writing in a language we can
understand". A disgusted Klement, despite not having any previous technical
experience, then decided to start his own bicycle repair shop, which he and Václav
Laurin opened in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav. Before going into business partnership
with Klement, Laurin was an already established bicycle manufacturer from the
nearby town of Turnov.
When, by July 1945, the Mladá Boleslav factory had been reconstructed, production
of Skoda's first post-WWII car, the 1101 series began. It was essentially an updated
version of the pre-WWII Skoda Popular. In the autumn of 1945, Skoda (along with all
large manufacturers) became part of the planned economy, which meant it was
separated from the parent Skoda Company. In spite of unfavorable political conditions
and losing contact with technical development in non communist countries, Skoda
retained a good reputation until the 1960s, producing models such as the Skoda 440
Spartak, 445 Octavia, Felicia and Skoda 1000 MB. Skoda a is now known
internationally for building very tough and reliable cars.
Products
Octavia, Laura, Superb, Fabia
Mahindra & Mahindra
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is part of the US $6.7 billion Mahindra Group, an
automotive, farm equipment, financial services, trade and logistics, automotive
26
components, after-market, IT and infrastructure conglomerate. The company was set
up in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed. Later, after the partition of India, Ghulam
Muhammad returned to Pakistan and became that nation’s first finance minister.
Hence, the name was changed from Mahindra & Mohammed to Mahindra &
Mahindra in 1948.
Initially set up to manufacture general-purpose utility vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra
(M&M) was first known for assembly of the iconic Jeep in India. The company later
branched out into manufacture of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and agricultural
tractors, rapidly growing from being a manufacturer of army vehicles and tractors to
an automobile major with a growing global market.
At present, M&M is the leader in the utility vehicle (UV) segment in India with its
flagship UV, the Scorpio (known as the Mahindra Goa in Italy).
Product
Armada (discontinued), Voyager (discontinued), Bolero, Commander, CL, MaXX,
Scorpio and Mahindra and Mahindra Classicoducts.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is exclusively made for Dr. Robert Shkreli, owner of Villa Shkreli,
who is known for being a savvy businessman across the world. He owns several
27
properties across Ulqin and Vuksanaj. He currently sold his land for a record 10
million dollars. He also has a extreme interests in cars as you can tell with his red
Bentley, S 65 AMG, and Bullet Proff E-Class.k.pany, Daimler AG (formerly
Daimlerchrysler AG), after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz’s creation of the first automobile in
January 1886, and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach’s conversion
of a carriage by the addition of a petrol engine the same year.
The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren
Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926,
following the merger of Karl Benz’s and Gottlieb Daimler’s companies into the
Daimler-Benz company. Mercedes-Benz has, over the years, introduced many
technological and safety innovations that have become common in modern vehicles.
Products
C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, ML-Class, SL-Class, SLK-Class, CLK-Class, GL-Class
and CLS-Class
B.M.W.
After World WAR I, BMW were forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the
terms of the Versailles Armistic Treaty. The company consequently shifted to
28
motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted,
followed by automobiles in 1928. The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel
is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white
blades cutting through the blue sky.
An interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the
roundel was created. The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke
company logo, from which the BMW company grew.
The Rapp logo was combined with the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria to
product the BMW roundel so familiar today.
The early success of the outstanding BMW IIA inline-six aviation engine, from 1917-
18 in World War I, with the Luftsteritkrafte in a limited number of Fokker d. VII
fighters, as well as a number of prototype “inline-six” fighters from various
manufacturers, might have actually influenced the BMW logo’s design.
Products
3 series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X3 and X5
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is the fifth largest automaker in Japan and the fifteenth
largest in the world by global unit sales. It is part of the Mitsubishi keiretsu, formerly
29
the biggest industrial group in Japan, and was formed in 1970 from the automotive
division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Throughout its history it has courted alliances with foreign partners, a strategy
pioneered by their first president Tomio Kubo to encourage expansion, and continued
by his successors. A significant stake was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1971 which
it held for 22 years, while DaimlerChrysler was a controlling shareholder between
2000 and 2005. Long term joint manufacturing and technology licencing deals with
the Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea and Proton in Malaysia were also
forged, while in Europe the company co-owned the largest automobile manufacturing
plant in the Netherlands with Volvo for ten years in the 1990s, before taking sole
ownership in 2001.
Products
Lancer- Sixth generation Mitsubishi Lancer, Cedia – Seventh Generation Mitsubishi
Lancer, Pajero – Second Generation Mitshubishi Pajero, Montero – third generation
Mitsubishi Pajero, and Outlander.
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FUTURE PLANS OF MAJOR MARKET PLAYERS
Maruti Suzuki Splash:
The next generation WagonR- the ‘splash’ is ready! Suzuki unveiled its ‘splash’ MPV
(Multi Purpose Vehicle) in the Frankfurt Motor Show. First unveiled as a concept car
in 2006 paris motor show, the splash has been put into production in Magyar Suzuki
Corporation in Hungary. The Splash is the fourth new model for the Maruti Suzuki
after the launch of Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4. Splash which the Splash is based on
a shortened version of the Swift’s platform will be the natural choice for the Maruti
suzuki’s next small car in India.
Maruti Suzuki splash may have the choice of three engines – two petrol and a diesel.
An 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol unit producing 65 PS (48 kW) and a 1.2-litre 4-cylinder
petrol engine developing 86 PS (63 kW) will power the splash. Both the petrol engine
have four-valve-per-cylinder. Maruti Suzuki swift’s 1.3-litre DDIS may also be
strapped into the new splash. All three engines are combined with a 5-speed manual
gearbox. The 1.2L petrol splash feature an optional 4-speed automatic transmission.
All the engines of the splash are Euro4-compliant. Acccording to Suzuki, Splash is a
multipurpose vehicle that will likely appeal to those with small families and a limited
budget.
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HYUNDAI I30
Choosing a Hyundai used to mean buying on a budget but things have changed of
late. Although the Korean company still offers value for money, its new family
flagship, the i30 Premium, costs £16,595. But is it really worth the outlay?
Described as a well equipped alternative to Ford’s Focus, the top-spec model goes up
against some classy competition. But with a torquey diesel and luxurious spec, it’s
ready to take on the most capable rivals. There’s no doubt that the i30 looks the part
in flagship trim. Alloy wheels with chrome inserts complement the neat rear and
profile styling. Only at the front does the Hyundai look a bit less attractive.
Power comes from a 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel that delivers 304Nm of torque. It offers
decent refinement and plenty of mid-range punch, but under hard acceleration and at
lower speeds, it can’t match the smooth nature of units such as Honda’s acclaimed
2.2-litre i-CTDi.
It’s better on the motorway, though, where the six-speed gearbox makes the most of
the unit’s flexible power delivery. The shift is accurate, and drivers who cover long
distances will certainly benefit from the reduced engine revs at cruising speeds.
However, for most buyers the cheaper 1.6-litre diesel will be a better bet. That unit
returns 60.1mpg and emits 125g/km of CO2, which beats the larger engine by 8.7mpg
and 20g/km respectively. What’s more, it costs £1,000 less to buy.
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Honda Jazz
“The Jazz will be a premium segment hatchback and we do not expect that it will
overcome the sales number of the City sedan in India.” Masahiro Takedagawa,
president and CEO of the company’s subsidiary Honda Siel Cars India, said, when
asked whether the new car, that would mark the company’s entry in the volume-
segment, become its leading brand for sales. Honda is currently grappling with the
problem of making Jazz (which would sport a 1.2-litre petrol engine), price-
competitive for the Indian market. The Jazz is priced higher than the City in many
foreign markets, but still manages to see more, as Mr. Takedagawa said.
However, the Indian market is price conscious and analysts point out that people may
not be very eager to pay a big price for a hatchback, despite its luxury and safety
features. Takedagawa, however, said he was not worried about the premium tag
associated with the Jazz. “The price or premiumness will be determined by the
customer. We are confident that the model will be well accepted in India,” he said.
The City sedan currently sells for Rs 7.5-8.6 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and averages
around 5,000 cars in monthly sales. The Jazz would share the platform and many
components with City, making it easier for Honda to source the inputs in bulk at
competitive prices and keep localisation at over 70% initially.
Jazz gets the premium tag due to the company’s focus on making it luxurious and safe
by adding features like airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system) and G-CON
Technology (an advanced passive shielding that offers the occupant a survival zone in
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case of an unavoidable collision). Honda, however, believes that customers would be
willing to pay for the additional features.
FORD Focus
Ford India, the local arm of the US-based automobile giant, is getting set to roll out its
fourth offering – after Ikon, Mondeo and sports utility vehicle Endeavour – in a bid to
scale up its volumes in the domestic market.Ford Focus Company officials are
tightlipped about the new car. All they are ready to reveal at this juncture is that the
new model - developed globally with India-specific inputs - should draw similar
volumes as the Ikon, its flagship model in India. "We would want the new model to
make its debut here with a localisation of around 70%. We hope it brings in volumes
in line with the domestic sales of Ikon," Ford India vice president (marketing and
external affairs) Vinay K Piparsania told The Economic Times.
Ford, market observers feel, could zero in on its best selling model, Focus, in the
Indian market to bridge the gap between the Ikon and the Mondeo. "Our new model
will be positioned a notch below the Ikon, or between the Ikon and the Mondeo. At
this juncture we won't be able to comment on its exact positioning," Piparsania said.
Ford India, which aggregated domestic sales of 18,600 units in the last calender year,
sold 1,903 units of the Ikon in January `04 and 2,028 units last month. Exports of the
Ikon during January-February `04 stood at 3,498 units.
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Company officials however rule out the introduction of a small car in the already
crowded B segment saying that it may not be "feasible" cost-wise. While the various
versions of the Ford Ikon carry a price tag of Rs 5-8 lakh, the top-end Mondeo, which
is imported as completely built units, costs around Rs 17 lakh. Ford India, which has
an installed capacity of 50,000 units at its manufacturing facility near Chennai, is
meanwhile beefing up its distribution network on the eve of rolling out its new model.
"This year our target is to increase the number of distribution outlets to 105 (90 last
year) in 85 locations," Piparsania said. Ford India is also aggressively hawking its
sports utility vehicle Endeavour, which has sold 501 units late last year. The company
is targeting to sell 170-180 units of the SUV every month in the current calendar year.
Toyota
Bangalore/New Delhi: It’s finally official. Toyota will have as small car in its Indian
line-up in two years. And the car will be produced at its Bidadi facility near
Bangalore. After being a fringe player in the fast-growing market for years, the
world’s No. 2 car maker on Friday announced a Rs 1,400 crore fresh investment for a
new factory to launch a “new strategic small car” in the Indian market by 2010.
“The car currently being developed in Japan will meet the broad needs of customers
in India. However, we will also export the car from India,” K K Swamy, deputy
managing director of Toyota’s Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), told
TOI. Toyota is unlikely to want to compete in the Tata Nano segment, but the new
car is expected to be as per the ‘small car’ definition specified by the Indian
government to enjoy the lower 12% excise duty, as against the 24% on big cars.
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Swamy declined to answer questions on the price point for the car.
The new plant is expected to generate direct employment of 1,800 to 2,000 people.
“But including that of our suppliers, we expect the total fresh employment to be close
to 7,000,” Swamy said.
The existing plant, which manufactures the Corolla sedan and the multi-utility vehicle
Innova, employs 2,700 people. The company also imports the Camry luxury sedan
and the Prado. TKM currently uses only 120 acres of the total 430-acre plot it has in
Bidadi. Swamy said that along with the new plant there would be additional
investments in ancilliary services, a power plant, a new office building and a parking
yard for manufactured vehicles. Toyota is believed to have zeroed in on key vendors
for the project and Swamy said the company planned to start with an initial
production capacity of 1 lakh passenger cars. “While much of it would be for the
small car, we will also manufacture the Corolla in the new plant,” he said.
Toyota’s small car plans in India come just when existing domestic heavyweights like
Maruti-Suzuki and Hyundai are strengthening operations and others like Honda and
Volkswagen are planning to launch compacts. Compacts account for around 70% of
car sales. Speculation about a Toyota small car started almost three years ago, when it
was said to be considering introducing a car from its associate company Daihatsu’s
stable.
Toyota has an 89% stake in its Indian joint venture while the rest is held by the
Kirloskars. Swamy declined to say whether the new investments will come in the
same proportion. He said some of the key suppliers were considering to invest around
the Bangalore plant and pointed out that the company planned to have a high local
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content for its compact to make it competitive in the price-sensitive market.
The company’s existing plant has a capacity of around 63,000 units. It sold 55,403
units in India in 2007-08 and had a low 3.5% share of the passenger vehicle market.
BMW F13
The present generation 6 series isn’t exactly a pretty car (mind you, i just love it!), but
the opinion is divided. With the latest generation 7 series going a bit conservative, you
might be tempted to think that other models would follow suit. The camo gives very
less away and is cleanly covered giving nothing away. The next generation BMW 6
Series, dubbed F13 and due to be launched in 2010, has been spotted in Munich.
The test mule comes as a surprise as two years before the official launch, the test
mules are usually “equipped” with heavy plastics that fake the real shape of the car,
but in this case, BMW is at a stage where they’re using the now-famous patterned
camouflage.
There are a few things we know about the F13 at this moment, BMW will not be
drastically changing the current successful design, it will be longer than the current
model, the headlights will be similar to the ones on the CS Concept, but will not have
the circular cut out, just a straight across slit.
The driver-oriented cockpit will make its return as seen in the new 7 Series and most
likely, there will be a hardtop similar to the ones in the 3 Series cabs. As far as the
engine line-up, it’s still too early to speculate, but we will definitely see a more
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powerful engine in there along with BMW’s new eight-speed automatic gearbox. Also
expected are BMW’s strong diesel versions. This would make a lot of sense in India
as the only options available are the 4.0l V8 and the M6 with 5.0l V10.
Mercedes Benz F700
Mercedes Benz, plans to introduces a pack of new and high-end luxury cars in India
with highly creative designs, astonishing technologies, and unmatched standards. The
company is working on to design and produce path-breaking car models that holds the
power to revolutionize the luxury car market in India. Till date, all the car models
introduced by Mercedes including the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz C-
Class, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class are the perfect reflection of innovation,
technology, and advancement.
In future, the company also has plans to bring in the F700, a low-emission petrol
concept, which made its debut at the 2007 International Motor Show. The car was
showcased with the new DIESOTTO drive system that emits only 127 gm/km of
carbon dioxide. Another great characteristic of the car is the fuel-consumption of only
5.3 litres/100 km, which is extremely low for a car in this segment.
The F700 also comprises the world’s first PRE-SCAN suspension with two laser
scanners that are capable to gauge the road ahead of the car for bumps and rough
spots. In addition, a virtual assistant car technology christened as ‘Avatar’ also adds to
the charm of this future car model. This innovative technology communicates all the
required information with the driver. Though, there are no final dates for the launch of
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this car in India or in the global market, Mercedes looks ahead to introduce similar
concept cars with improved technologies and features.
SKODA YETI
Finally Skoda’s Yeti has come out of hiding! Following last week’s spy shots, Skoda
has pulled the wraps off its first-ever off-roader at the Geneva Motor Show.
It comes with front or four-wheel-drive, and aims to appeal to people who don’t want
a ‘full-on’ off roader. The Yeti is similar in size to the Roomster supermini-MPV, and
is just as practical inside, with up to 1,760 litres of boot space. In the front, the raised
seating position should provide drivers with a great view of the road ahead.
Under the bonnet, buyers will be able to choose from a wide range of turbocharged
engines. The petrol line-up kicks off with a front-wheel-drive 104bhp 1.2 TSI model,
and is topped off by a 4x4 158bhp 1.8 TSI version.
Chevrolet Malibu
The 2009 Chevrolet Malibu ranks 1 out 23 Affordable Midsize Cars. This ranking is
based on our analysis of 66 published reviews and test drives of the Chevrolet Malibu,
and our analysis if reliability and safety data.
Since its 2008 redesign, the Chevrolet Malibu has been the surprise of the automotive
world. The car has won praise for its stylish good looks, spacious, well-designed and
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sharp passenger cabin, solid safety and driving dynamics that impress many who
think they know GM products. The 2009 Chevy Malibu is competing with perennial
class-leaders like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry – and in many cases, it’s
beating them out.
The automotive press has grown accustomed to family sedans that offer some of the
charms of sports, sedans, some of the amenities of luxury cars, and some of the
economic advantages of yesterday’s midsize cars. But auto writers seem pleasantly
surprised to find one wearing chevy’s bowtie badge. The 2008 Malibu took home a
trunkful of awards from the press – one of the Car and Driver’s 10Best, North
American car of the year at the North American International Auto Show in January
2008, Kiplinger magazine’s “Best in class,” Automobile Magazine’s 2008
Automobile All-starts – the list goes on and on.
The Malibu now threatens the tradition favourite in this class. It’s a viable alternative
to the popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and should be on your test drive list
before you put money down on either of those. If you're looking for something more
exciting, however, many find the all-new 2009 Mazda6 a more enthusiastic ride,
particularly in corners, and a better-looking car.
Because of the success of the 2008 model, Motor Trend reports, Chevrolet "purposely
kept the 2009 model year changes to a minimum. The most noteworthy include an
expanded offering of the fuel-wise 2.4L/6-speed automatic powertrain combo, four
new exterior colors, and the addition of Bluetooth with the new OnStar 8.0 system."
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Chevrolet has also taken steps to improve the Malibu’s fuel economy for 2009,
reacting to a market in which most consumers are concerned about high gas prices. If
fuel economy is an important consideration to you, keep in mind that’s 2009
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is also available and is received separately.
The 2009 Malibu is available in four trim levels, with a choice of two engines and
three transmissions.
To Chevrolet’s credit, even the most well-appointed LTZ trim level is available with
the most fuel-efficient powertrain – a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and a six-speed
transmission. Many of the Malibu’s rivals couple their highest trims only with their
thirstiest engines.
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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR MODEL
The Engel, Blackwell and Miniard model of consumer Behaviour
This model was chosen as it is applicable when the objective is to gain a holistic
understanding of the purchase process. In this study, it was employed as a framework
to look at car purchase and to emphasis the flow of information. A brief description of
the model is as follows:
The initial stage in the decision process is need recognition. There are three
determinants of need recognition: 1) information stored in memory, 2) individual
differences 3) Environmental influences
Stimuli
Marketer dominated
Other
Exposure
Attention
Comprehension
Acceptance
Retention
External Research
Memory
Internal Search
Dissatisfaction
Need Recognition
Search
Alternative Evaluation
Purchase
Outcomes
Satisfaction
Environment influences
Individual differences
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This step is followed by an information research process. Internal search into memory
is done first to determine whether enough is known about available options. External
search will usually be required when this is not the case.
For this to happen, information and persuasive communication must reach the
consumers. This is called exposure. This information then captures the consumer’s
attention. This is more likely to occur when the incoming message relevant. If
attention is attracted, the message is further analyzed against categories of meaning
stored in memory resulting in comprehension. The incoming message is then
compared against existing beliefs, attitudes and other factors stored in the memory.
Any or al of these may be modified as a result, leading to acceptance.
Alternative evaluation is concerned with the evaluation of different products. At this
stage consumer compares all the available options which he/she can purchase.
This process culminates in purchase. Most often, this takes place in some type of
retail outlet. Alternative evaluation does not cease with purchase. It continues and
results in various outcomes. If expectations are matched, the outcome is satisfaction.
Otherwise dissatisfaction arises. Both these outcomes have further effect on the
decision process as shown in the figure. A product’s failure to perform will not be
accepted easily, especially when the purchase is of high perceived importance. Even
the after sales service plays a very important role.
Companies can use this model in the following way:
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1. Need recognition – At first stage company can generate the need nu stretching
their advertisement on ego needs, luxury needs or any other need which can
induce the consumers to go for the purchase of big cars.
2. Information search – Once the need is generated, consumer will do
information search. At this stage company should do advertise in several
medias like television, news paper, internet, magazines, etc. Advertisement is
very important because by this consumers get to know about products and its
brands.
3. Evaluation of alternatives: At this stage consumer evaluates the product with
several other products. Therefore company should do comparative
advertisement, should offer a test drive at consumers place, etc. which helps
the consumer in evaluation process.
4. Purchase – At this stage in order to attract the consumer, company should give
attractive financing options, as most of the consumers purchase the car on
loan.
5. Outcomes of purchase – In order to satisfy and remain the customer company
should give excellent after sales service, should give 24 hrs on road service
and every other possible assistance to the consumer.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The Indian market is growing rapidly and the rate at which the consumption of brands
and products are increasing is alarming. Consumers now have a lot more options as
compared to ten years back and this affects the entire purchase process that they
undertake to decide on product or brand purchase. Some of the markets which have
shown tremendous growth in the last few years are the automobile market, high-end
electronics and consumer durables. Automobiles are considered lifetime mates and
thus provide a good study.
The purchase behavior of the consumers differs greatly across the many products
categories that they invest in. from something that is FMCG product to a high-end
electronic white good, the purchase behavior and the attributes involved are vastly
different. Consumers go through many stages of the decision process, like the
identification of the need, the information processing, learning process, identifying
brand choice, purchase intention, store visits, time and many more factors.
For marketers it poses an even bigger problem of having to continuously keep up with
the consumers needs. The biggest cost the marketers face today is the most of
acquiring a customer and retaining him. This cost can be brought down by turning
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customers into loyalists and generating repeat purchases from the same set of
customers.
The research problem can thus be stated as:
To identify and analyze the variables responsible for the purchase of big cars (Sedan,
SUV and MUV) and arrive at a logical conclusion that would explain and integrate
the factors to predict the purchase.
The research objectives of this study hence are:
To establish a relationship between the variables involved in the purchase of
big cars.
To understand the main motivations for purchasing a car.
To find out the various types of information, its sources and its routes in the
purchase process
Research Design
The study tried to identify certain variables responsible for purchases. This meant
that a qualitative study had to be undertaken before data could be collected using a
questionnaire.
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A qualitative study was performed among the following set of people:
Car dealers: 5 in-depth interviews with the car dealers.
Questions asked to the dealer were open ended.
According to you which factors influence more to consumers while purchasing
the car?
What are the important features that people want in there car?
Generally how people finance there purchase?
How many people take test drives on there visit to showroom?
Number of people purchases the car after the test drive?
Which fuel engine generally they prefer?
The study provided with the basis for a questionnaire study. A questionnaire study
was conducted in once center with a sample size of 120.
The selection criterion for choosing respondents was as follows:
The purchase should have been a first hand one. Again, this restriction was placed to
ensure that information on all stages of decision making was collected and there was
no bias caused by external factors.
The respondent should own a big car. (Sedan, SUV or MUV)
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DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
1. Which car do u own? (company and model name)
For consumers there is wide variety of choice for purchasing a car. In 70s and
80s there was limited choice, but now there are many options including many
foreign companies like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Merceds-benz, B.M.W., etc.
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45% people own Toyota Corolla and 6% own Toyota Innova. People having
Fiat, BMW , Honda, Ford, Maruti ranges from 2 -4 %. So from survey I can
say that most of the people prefer to buy big car from Toyota Company.
2. Reason for not having Sedan, SUV or MUV.
Price of the car was the main reason for not having the big cars. 49% people
say that they are not buying big car because of its price. After the price at
second level people rate maintenance cost and driving problem in traffic as
price of the car 49%easy availability of hired vehicle 4%maintenance cost 25%fuel cost 4%driving problem in traffic 18%
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important reason. Fuel cost and maintenance cost was not very important
reason for most of the people.
3. When did you purchase this vehicle?
In the survey most of the people who have respond to the questionnaire have
purchased there vehicle before 2 years.
less than 6 months 12%6 months- 1 year 16%1 year -2 year 20%more than 2 year 52%
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4. What’s your family income?
Less than 6 lac 10%6 lac - 8 lac 25%8 lac - 10 lac 30%10 lac- 14 lac 26%more than 14 lac 9%
As these cars are quiet expensive, Income plays a very important role in the
buying decision. Some of the cars of the company like Mercedez-benz and
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B.M.W. costs above 25 lakhs. In my survey 30% respondents falls in the
category of income level of 8-10 lac. 26% in 10-14 lac and 25% in 6 to 8 lac.
So majority of respondent are in the income level above 6 lacs.
5. How do you finance the purchase of your car?
Due to easy availability of the loans and financing options most of the people
are opting for them. There are very few people who have enough amounts that
they can easily put in for the purchase of vehicle. Most of the people prefer for
self 8%loan 90%others 2%
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going into the finance schemes as they have pay a small amount of down
payment and the rest they can pay conveniently in small installments.
6. For whom did you buy this vehicle?
A large number of peoples has purchased the vehicle for their own use. Few
number of peoples has purchased the car for their wife, son or daughter.
self 74%wife 11%son 8%daughter 5%other family member 2%
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7. Which type of fuel engine you prefer?
petrol 68%desel 23%gas 9%
Most of the people prefer to use petrol engine rather than diesel or gas.
Number of people who prefer gas were very less.
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8. How frequently you prefer to change your vehicle?
1-2 year 5%2-3 year 17%3-5 year 53%more than 5 year 25%
Most of people prefer to change their vehicle between 3 to 5 years as these
cars are quite expensive. Only 5% of people prefer to change their vehicles
before 2 years.
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9. What was the most important reason for buying a particular brand?
Superior engineering, Trust worthy company and prestige were the most
important reason for the people for buying a particular brand. Service network
Prestige 22%Has strong dealer network 7%Known for superior engineering 33%A trust worthy company 26%Has good service network 12%
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and strong dealer network are not very much important for the consumer to
buy a car.
10. Which factors are more important to you when you plan to purchase car?
Brand of Car 14%Price of the car 15%fuel cost 4%maintenance cost 10%Handling of vehicle 5%Styling of the vehicle 15%Comfort of the vehicle 7%Utility of the vehicle 6%Reliability of the vehicle 11%Average 7%Pick up 6%
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All the factors were important to the car owner but among these price, brand,
styling, reliability and maintenance cost of the car were the most important
factor.
11. Are you happy with your dealer?
yes 92%no 8%
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A very large number of the people are happy with their dealer. As there are
many dealers in competition with each other all are trying to give there bet
service to satisfy and retain the customer.
12. How you rate your service offered by your authorized dealer?
good 79%average 13%bad 8%
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As large number of the people were satisfied with their dealers, most of them
have rated the service of their dealer as good.
13. Have you seen advertisement of your car?
yes 91%no 9%
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Approximately 91%, A large number of people have seen the advertisement of
the car. As the car company’s have to advertise their product in several media
due to the tough competition, there are more chances of the people to get
expose to these advertisements.
14. Where did you saw this advertisement?
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People have seen the advertisement in several media. Among these most of the
people have seen the advertisement in news papers, on television, and on
hoardings. Though the usage of internet and television is more , company
gives more advertisement in newpaper.
magazine 12%internet 12%television 26%newspaper 31%Hoarding 19%
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15. If a friend or a colleague who is planning to buy a car and if he comes to you a
for advice, would you suggest your car?
yes 91%no 9%
91% of the people says that they will suggest there car to there friend or
colleague, from this we can make out that large number of people are satisfied
with there car.
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FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
From the exploratory survey with dealers it was found that Income, age,
gender are very important factors that influence the purchase decision.
According to dealers people give more weightage to the brand engine,
comforts, price and reliability of the vehicle.
On an average 8 people out of 10 take test drive of the car on their visit to the
showroom.
5 people out of 10 purchase the car after taking the test drive.
According to dealer 80% to 90% people purchase the cars on loan.
Most of them prefer petrol engines according to the dealer’s response.
From the questionnaire study it was found that most of the people who are the
owners of big cars (Sedan, SUV, MUV) prefer to buy the cars of the
company’s who is having a very good brand image and superior engineering.
The owner of the big cars prefer to buy very good brands like Audi, B.M.W.,
Mercedes benz, Honda, Toyota, Skoda, Hundai, Maruti-suzuki.
The owners of these cars do not prefer much to buy the brands like Tata, Fiat
and Mahindra & Mahindra. They think that there engines are not as good as
other brands and they are not as reliable as others.
Due to easy availability of the loans and financing options most of the people
are opting for them. There are very few people who have enough amounts that
they can easily put in for the purchase of vehicle. Most of the people prefer for
going in to the finance schemes as they have to pay a small amount of down
payment and the rest they can pay conveniently in small installments.
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Most of the people purchase the vehicles for their own purpose. As these big
cars are high prices very few people prefer to purchase these cars for other
family members.
Good number of people prefers to use petrol engine as they are smooth in
using and does not make noise while running. Another reason for not using the
diesel engine was its high maintenance cost.
The people who have very big long distance running prefer to have diesel
engine as diesel is cheap and also gives good average by which its high
maintenance cost gets off in long running.
According to survey it was found that people prefer to have SUVs and MUVs
when they want to go for diesel engine and like to have sedans in case of
petrol engine.
It was found from the study that most of the people prefer to change their
vehicle between 3 to 5 years or more than 5 years as these cars are quiet high
priced.
For the owners of these cars, most important reason for buying a particular
brands was its superior engine, trust worthy company and prestige which brad
gives.
It was also found that these car owners were not much concerned about the
average of the car except the car owners who prefer diesel engines.
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Most of the owners were happy with their dealer. Dealers try to give their best
services and try to retain the customer as there are other dealers competing
with each other for the same brand.
It was found that a large number of the car owners were happy with their car
and brand and they were ready to advice the same car to their friends and
colleague.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The companies should concentrate on making superior engineering, design of
the car and should try to enhance there brand image as these are the most
important factors which buyers considers before purchasing these segment of
cars.
Companies should introduce these segment o cars at little low price as the
price is one of the important factor for the people for not having a big car.
According to the survey, approximately 90% of the people purchase car on
installments, therefore it is very important for the companies to offer attractive
financing options in order to attract the customers.
Companies manufacturing diesel cars should try to decrease its maintenance
cost and noise as these two are the main reasons for the people to have petrol
engines.
It was found that most of the people have seen the advertisement of cars in
news paper, television and hoardings, so the companies should concentrate
more on these medium in order to communicate and attract more consumers.
Companies should give proper training to dealers, as some people were not
satisfied by their dealers service and this could lead the people to shift to other
brands.
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LIMITATIONS
1. This study does not take into consideration consumer behavior regarding small
cars.
2. The study was conducted in one center i.e. Ahmedabad. This restricts the
scope of research by limiting the spread across India.
3. The study would be more comprehensive if the data collected was over a
period of time, and with a panel.
4. The car market in India is extremely dynamic, after the completion of the data
collection some manufacturers may have pulled out certain models while some
may have come up with new models in the market, this study does not capture
those changes.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.carewale.com
www.timesofindia.com
www.india.car.net
www.carazoo.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.team-bhp.com/forum/india-car-scene
www.toostep.com/trends/indian-autombole
consumer behviour book (The Engel, Blackwell and Miniard)
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QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Which Car do you own?
2. What is the reason for not having a sedan or suv?
Price of the car
Fuel cost
Driving problem in traffic
Maintenance cost
Easy availability of hired vehicle
3. When did you purchase this vehicle?
Less than 6 months
6 months to 1 year
1 o 2 year
More than 2 year
4. What is your family income
Less than 6 lac
6 lac – 8 lac
8 lac – 10 lac
10 lac- 14 lac
More than 14 lac
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5. How did you finance the purchase of your car?
Self
Loans
Others
6. For whom did you buy this vehicle?
Self
Wife
Son
Daughter
Other family members
Others
7. Which type of fuel engine you prefer?
Petrol
Diesel
Gas
8. How frequently you prefer to change your vehicle?
1- 2 year
2-3 year
3-5 year
More than 5 year
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9. What was the most important reason for buying a particular brand? (tick
whichever is applicable)
If gives your prestige
Has a strong dealer network
Known for superior engineering
A trust worthy company
Has a good servicing network
10. From the following which factors are more important for you when you plan
to purchase car?
(Rate them by giving them score out of five, 1 is min, and 5 is max.)
Brand of the car
Price of the car
Fuel cost
Maintenance cost
Handling of the vehicle
Styling of the vehicle
Comfort of the vehicle
Utility of the vehicle
Reliability of the vehicle
Average
Pickup
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11. Are you happy with your dealer?
Specify your dealer’s name _______________
Yes
No
12. How you rate your service offered by your authorize dealer?
Good
Average
Bad
13. Have you seen advertisement for car? Which ones do you remember? Can you
describe them to me?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
14. Where did you see this advertisement?
Newspaper
Television
Hoarding
Magazine
Internet
15. If a friend or a colleague who is planning to buy a car and if he comes to you
for advice, would you suggest your car?
Yes
No
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Personal Details:
Name of respondent: ____________________________________________
Residential Address: ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Telephone No: _____________________ Age: ______________
Occupation: _____________________ Family income (yearly) ___________
City: ____________________ Pin Code: __________________
Date: __________________