article

IJRMEC Volume2, Issue 2(February 2012) ISSN: 2250-057X

International Journal of Research in Management, Economics and Commerce www.indusedu.org 44

CAR MARKET AND BUYING BEHAVIOR- A STUDY OF CONSUMER

PERCEPTION

Nikhil Monga

Assistant Professor & HOD, Department of Management Studies, Phonics Group of Institutions,

Roorkee

Dr. Bhuvnender Chaudhary

Dean, Phonics Group of Institution, Roorkee

Saurabh Tripathi

Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Phonics Group of Institutions, Roorkee

ABSTRACT

The automobile industry today is the most lucrative industry. Due to the increase in disposable

income in both rural and urban sector and easy finance being provided by all the financial

institutes, the passenger car sales have increased at the rate of 38% per annum in June 2005-06

over the corresponding period in the pervious year. Further competition is heating up in the

sector with a host of new players coming in and other like Porsche, Bentley, Audi, and BMW all

set to venture in the Indian markets. One factor that could help the companies in the marketing

of their product is by knowing and creating a personality for their brands. This research

attempts to answer some of the questions regarding brand personality of selected cars in India

by conducting the market research. This personality sketching will help in knowing what a

customer (or a potential customer) thinks about a given brand of car and what are the possible

factors guiding a possible purchase. Similarly, the idea of measuring the customer satisfaction

will serve the same purpose of determining the customer perception. Thus, by measuring the”

willingness of existing users of a car to recommend it to others” will help the car manufacturers

to chalk out the entire Customer Buying Behavior. This research will be helpful for the new car

entrant companies in India to find out the possible gaps between the customer expectations and

the present market offerings. It will be mainly a primary research and the information will be

gathered from both primary and secondary research. The research will analyze the applicability

of existing research concepts, theories, and tools for evaluating consumer satisfaction.

Keywords: Automobile, Car Market, Buying Behavior, Perception



INTRODUCTION

The concept of “buying behavior” is of prime importance in marketing and has evolved over the

years. It is important to understand consumer buying behavior as it plays a vital role in crating an

impact on purchase of products. The human wants are unlimited and always expect more and

more. Car Models are no exception to this behavior. This lead to constant modifications of Car

Models & its features and today we see a new model coming into the market practically every

quarter. The market is a very important place to study the behavior of consumers and also

provide useful insights what a consumer requires in a product. It is only through research that a

company will be able to study the buying behavior of consumers. “As one of the measurements

of the performance of the quality management system, the organizations shall monitor

information relating to customer perception as to whether the organization has met customer

requirements. The method for obtaining and using this information shall be determined” The

requirement has been there in the QS9000 standard clause 4.1.6 which says: “Trends in customer

satisfaction and key indicators of customer dissatisfaction shall be documented and supported by

objective information. These trends shall be compared to those of competitors, or appropriate

benchmarks, and reviewed by senior management.” There is obviously a strong link between

customer satisfaction and customer retention. Customer’s perception of service and quality of

product will determine the success of the product or service in the market. With better

understanding of customer’s perceptions, companies can determine the actions required to meet

the customer’s needs. They can identify their own strengths and weaknesses, where they stand in

comparison to their competitors, chart out the path future progress and improvement. Customer

satisfaction measurement helps to promote an increased focus on customer outcomes and

stimulate improvements in the work practices and processes used within the company. The

decision-making process consists of a series of steps which the consumer undergoes. First of all,

the decision is made to solve a problem of any kind. This may be the problem of creating a cool

atmosphere in your home. For this, information search is carried out, to find how the cool

atmosphere can be provided, e.g. by an air-conditioner or, by a water-cooler. This leads to the

evaluation of alternatives and a cost benefit-analysis is made to decide which product and brand

image will be suitable, and can take care of the problem suitably and adequately. Thereafter the

purchase is made and the product is used by the consumer. The constant use of the product leads



to the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the consumer, which leads to repeat purchases, or to the

rejection of the product. The marketing strategy is successful if consumers can see a need which

a company.s product can solve and, offers the best solution to the problem. For a successful

strategy, the marketer must lay emphasis on the product/brand image in the consumer.s mind.

Position the product according to the customers. likes and dislikes. The brand which matches the

desired image of a target market sells well. Sales are important and sales are likely to occur if the

initial consumer analysis was correct and matches the consumer decision process. Satisfaction of

the consumer, after the sales have been effected, is important for repeat purchase. It is more

profitable to retain existing customers, rather than looking for new ones. The figure below gives

an idea of the above discussion.

In this model, the consumer passes through five stages: problem recognition, information search,

evaluation and selection of alternatives, decision implementation, and post-purchase evaluation.

a) Problem Recognition: In this information processing model, the consumer buying process

begins when the buyer recognizes a problem or need. For example, Doug may realize that

his best suit doesn’t look contemporary any more. Or, Kathleen may recognize that her

personal computer is not performing as well as she thought it should. These are the kinds

of problem that we as consumers encounter all the time. When we found out a difference



between the actual state and a desired state, a problem is recognized. When we find a

problem, we usually try to solve the problem. We, in other words, recognize the need to

solve the problem. But how?

b) Information Search: When a consumer discovers a problem, he/she is likely to search for

more information. Kathleen may simply pay more attention to product information of a

personal computer. She becomes more attentive to computer ads, computers purchased

by her friends, and peer conversations about computers. Or, she may more actively seek

information by visiting stores, talking to friends, or reading computer magazines, among

others. Through gathering information, the consumer learns more about some brands that

compete in the market and their features and characteristics

c) Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives: How does the consumer process competitive

brand information and evaluate the value of the brands? Unfortunately there is no single,

simple evaluation process applied by all consumers or by one consumer in all buying

situations. One dominant view, however, is to see the evaluation process as being

cognitively driven and rational. Under this view, a consumer is trying to solve the

problem and ultimately satisfying his/her need. In other words, he/she will look for

problem-solving benefits from the product. The consumer, then, looks for products with a

certain set of attributes that deliver the benefits. Thus, the consumer sees each product as

a bundle of attributes with different levels of ability of delivering the problem solving

benefits to satisfy his/her need. The distinctions among the need, benefits, and attributes

are very important. One useful way to organize the relationships among the three is a

hierarchical one (Figure 2). Although simplified, Figure 2 is an example of how a bundle

of attributes (i.e., a product or, more specifically, personal computer) relates to the

benefits and underlying needs of Kathleen.

d) Decision Implementation: To actually implement the purchase decision, however, a

consumer needs to select both specific items (brands) and specific outlets (where to buy)

to resolve the problems. There are, in fact, three ways these decisions can be made: 1)

simultaneously; 2) item first, outlet second; or 3) outlet first, item second. In many

situations, consumers engage in a simultaneous selection process of stores and brands.

For example, in our Kathleen’s personal computer case, she may select a set of brands

based on both the product’s technical features (attributes) and availability of brands in the



computer stores and mail-order catalogs she knows well. It is also possible, that she

decides where to buy (e.g., CompUSA in her neighborhood) and then chooses one or two

brands the store carries. Once the brand and outlet have been decided, the consumer

moves on to the transaction (“buying”).

e) Post-purchase Evaluation: Post-purchase evaluation processes are directly influenced by

the type of preceding decision-making process. Directly relevant here is the level of

purchase involvement of the consumer. Purchase involvement is often referred to as “the

level of concern for or interest in the purchase” situation, and it determines how

extensively the consumer searches information in making a purchase decision. Although

purchase involvement is viewed as a continuum (from low to high), it is useful to

consider two extreme cases here. Suppose one buys a certain brand of product (e.g., Diet

Pepsi) as a matter of habit (habitual purchase). For him/her, buying a cola drink is a very

low purchase involvement situation, and he/she is not likely to search and evaluate

product information extensively. In such a case, the consumer would simply purchase,

consume and/or dispose of the product with very limited post-purchase evaluation, and

generally maintain a high level of repeat purchase motivation (Figure 3).

INDUSTRY STATISTICS OF AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY

The domestic Indian passenger car market (including utility vehicles) totaled 900,000 units (with a

CAGR of 10 per cent over the past 4 years) while the exports were 130,000 million units (with a

registered CAGR of 68 per cent over the past 4 years) during financial year 2004

The Indian two-wheeler Industry is one of the largest in the world, and is expected to maintain

robust growth in the future

At the back of this phenomenal automotive growth is the success of the Indian auto component

industry. Presently a US$ 6.7 billion industry, it is expected to almost treble in less than eight years

time to US$ 17 billion by 2012

India offers a distinct technological and cost-competitive advantage, which global Original

Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and automotive suppliers are leveraging for both

manufacturing and research facilities. The passenger car market is projected to grow at a CAGR

of 12.3 per cent over the next few years. Growth in the mid-size and premium car segments is



expected to outpace the overall market growth. This Figure that represents the Gross turnover of

Industry

Source: SIAM



Source: SIAM

Source: SIAM

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research objectives for the project are to determine the demographic variables of the

customers of different brands of cars, to Examine the customer perception about the cars to judge



the satisfaction level of car owners of different brands.The research tracks responses at following

two layers i.e., Product related parameters and Dealer related parameters

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

39

12

17

23

9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Increase indisposable

income

Better safetyat roads

Family needs Increase infamily size

Suits yourlifestyle andpersonality

Motives

Motives For buying a car

Series1

As per the analysis shows, increase in disposable income seems to be the most important reason

for buying a car. This trend is reflected in the growth of the Per capita Disposable income and

consequently the growth of the Indian automobile industry especially in the B and C segment

cars. Similarly, the growing family needs like working partners, increasing family size, status,

etc. add to the motives of buying a car.



Product Specific Reasons for Buying a Car

32

7

912

28

102

Afforable prices

Technical superiority

Comfort

Manufacturer's image

Value for money

Safety

After sale services

32% of the respondents suggested that affordable prices are the most important factor while

purchasing a car. This is the reason for sticking to a particular segment till the next

substantial rise in the personal disposable income. This reason is followed by ‘Value for

money’ where the customers look for the best product, best services and best repute all

bundled in one with the best deal they can strike. This explains the reason for the stagnant or

sudden growth in sale of B and C segment cars just before budget and near occasions like

Diwali.

Interiors for Segment B cars

3 4 43 4 4 4

3

4 44 4 3 4

3

3 33

44

3

44 4 4

4

4

4

11 1 1 3

14

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

MarutiEstilo

MarutiWagon

R

MarutiSwift

IndicaV2

Aveo Santro GetzCars

Le

ve

l of

sa

tis

fac

tio

n

Adjustable Front Seat Headrest

Music System

Interior Colour

Dash Board

Leg Room

Seat Design



Interiors play a very important role in deciding the sale of a car. More plush, comfortable and

exotic the interiors are more are the chances of its being popular among the customers. For this

reason manufacturers spend billions of dollars every year on R&D to continuously improve the

interiors of their cars. Seats, leg room, dash board, armrests etc are few of the options which

count for the interiors. As the analysis show Getz scores substantially high w.r.t. its counterparts

on the account of music system installed. Similarly, Indica V2 races far ahead as far as leg room

is concerned. However, Wagon R fares badly on this front. Overall, almost all cars get a mixed

response in this segment as far as the interiors are concerned.

Customer Satisfacton based on Interiors of Cars

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 5 5 5 5

3 4 4 5 5 53

4 4 4 44

4

4

3 3 3 4 5 45

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Esteem

Baleno

Indig

o

Indig

o Mari

na

Optr

a

Accent

Verna

Cars' Interior Parameters

Sat

isfa

cti

on

leve

l ( in

%ag

e)

Adjustable Front Seat Headrest

Music System

Interior Colour

Dash Board

Leg Room

Seat Design

As one can see most of the respondents are quite happy with the interiors of their respective cars.

However, one striking point observed here are that almost every car fares neutral on the

adjustable front seat headset. These cars have more leg room, come with attached music systems

(Verna fares the best among all cars on this front) combined with luxury features like TV

screens, armrests at the back seat etc.



Customer Satisfaction on the Safety Parameter

3 3 33 3 3 3

11

11

3

11

3

3 43

4

3 4

3

4 43

3

4 5

3 4 5 4

34 4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

MarutiEstilo

(9)

MarutiWagonR(23)

MarutiSwift

IndicaV2

Aveo Santro Getz

Safety Parameters of Different cars

Cu

sto

me

r S

ati

sfa

ctio

n L

ev

el

( %

ag

e)

Intensity of front light

Aerodynamic Shape

ABS

Air Bags

Crossbar under Dashboard

As can be noted Maruti Swift and Indica V2 fight neck to neck on almost every front, with

Indica marginally better in features like crossbars under the dashboard and Anti Brake systems.

Most of the cars in this segment fare relatively similar and very close to each other on most of

the fronts.

Customer Satisfaction Level on Safety Parameters

4 44 4 4 4 4

1 1 3 3 4 4 4

4 44

44 4

5

3 3 33

4 43

3 3 45

4 4 4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Esteem Baleno Indigo IndigoMarina

Optra Accent Verna

Cars' Safety Parameters

Cu

sto

mer

sat

isfa

ctio

n le

vel

Intensity of front light

Aerodynamic Shape

ABS

Air Bags

Crossbar under Dashboard

As one can see most of the

respondents are quite happy with the safety parameters of their respective cars. However, one

striking point observed here are that almost every car fares neutral on the safety parameters.



Customer Satisfaction Level on the Fuel Efficiency

3 43 3 3 3 3

3

4

44 3

3 4

3

34

44 5

5

3 3 34 4 4 4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

MarutiEstilo

(9)

MarutiWagonR(23)

MarutiSwift

IndicaV2

Aveo Santro Getz

Cars' Fuel Efficiency Parameters

Cu

sto

me

r S

ati

sfa

ctio

n L

evel

( %

ag

e)

Stability at higher speed

Pick up

Mileage

Fuel Consumption

The customer choice of the car highly depends upon the performance and maintenance costs of

the car. This is the reason why this class of parameter was chosen for this study. And the results

show that Maruti’s Wagon R fares the best car in its segment as most fuel efficient car of all.

Similarly, Wagon R fares the best on the terms like mileage but it lags behind Hyundai’s Santro

on pick up front. So this segment shows a mixed bag of response for the Fuel efficiency and

mileage parameter. Indica V2 performs consistently on all the parameters and Getz fares really

well on pick up whereas it fares badly on fuel consumption. Considered this condition for Getz it

should be seen as a red signal for the manufacturers so that Getz does not end up being like

Fiat’s Palio famous as a car for ‘drinking petrol.

Customer Satisfaction Level on the basis of Fuel Efficiency

3 34

3 3 3 3

33

3

3 3 3 3

3 4 45 5 5 5

4 4 5 5 5 5 5

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Optra Accent Verna

Car's Fuel Efficiency Parameters

Cust

om

er

Sati

sfact

ion L

evel (

in %

age

term

s)

Stability at higher speed

Pick up

Mileage

Fuel Consumption



Segment C cars are known as hybrid car segment between the B segments fuel efficiency with

the luxury of the D class. Checking the same it seems that most of the cars in this segment are

placed much closed to each other with very little difference here and there. Most of the cars are

fuel efficient w.r.t their weights and pickups. Indigo fares as the best car in terms of fuel

efficiency. Baleno fares a little bit behind than its counterparts as far as the stability at high

speeds and mileage is concerned.Dealers is the middle men between a car manufacturer and its

customers. Dealer thus becomes the most important link in joining the company to its customers

as he is the person who will sell the product, will deliver it and will keep on providing the after

sales services to the customers as and when required. So, it becomes necessary automatically to

study dealer as a part of customers’ satisfaction journey with the product called car!

Customer Satisfaction Level on the Basis of Dealers

5 54

45

45 4

4 4 4 45

34

4

3

4

4

4 4

44 4 4

4

2 34

1

2

4

4 2

54 4 5

4

4 4 42

4 53 3 5 4 4 4 4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Dis

tance

( Pro

ximity

)

Advertis

ements

(Pro

motio

ns)

Technic

al Faci

litie

s

Cost o

f Serv

ice

Availabili

ty o

f Spare

s

Info

rmatio

n Pro

vided

Servic

e Tim

e

Charges

Staff

Car Handlin

g ( D

elivery

& se

rvic

e)

Assure

d Cust

omer T

ransa

ctio

ns

Ambie

nce o

f Serv

ice C

enter

Finance

( Cre

dit) S

chem

es

Dealers releated parameters for diff Manufacturers

Cu

sto

mer

Sat

isfa

ctio

n L

evel

( in

%ag

e te

rms)

Hyundai

General Motors

Tata Motors

Maruti Suzuki

While buying a car, dealers ‘choice play a very important role in deciding the company and

model’s choice. So dealers act as influencers on the complete buying behavior of the prospective

customers. Among all the listed factors Maruti fares the best among all its counter parts in terms

of dealer density which is quite obvious. Also, the cost of service provided by Maruti dealers is

the lowest followed by Tata Motors. Similarly, for B and C segment cars Maruti emerges out as

the clear winner among the four car companies studied all thanks to the vast, extensive and well

managed dealer system.



Brand Image

3

4 4 4

3

5

3

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

MarutiEstilo

MarutiWagon R

MarutiSwift

Indica V2 Aveo Santro Getz

Car Brands

Cust

om

er

Perc

epti

on (

Avg)

Series1

as per the analysis, Santro is the car whose brand image is most preferred in the market. This is

because of the reason, that it’s from the house of Hyundai a South Korean company known for

its overall image. On the contrary Maruti Estilo and Aveo share the same platform on the brand

image. This can be attributed to the fact that both these cars are relatively new on the block and

market takes time to imbibe and give the brand an image. This is established by the fact that

Maruti’s Wagon R and Swift are exactly the same as far as the image is concerned.

Customer Perception of Different Cars

4

3

4

3

5

4 4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6


Optra Accent Verna

Car Brands

Cu

stom

er

Perc

epti

on

( A

vg)

Series1

As the analysis reveals GM’s Optra fares as the Best Car as far as customers’ perception is

concerned about the brand image of the car in the C segment. This is because of the fact that GM



itself commands an amazing brand image among its customers. Accent and Verna both Hyundai

cars share the same position.

Customer's Ultimate Perception

73

27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Yes No

Customer Action ( Will you recommend your car to your friends?)

Fre

quen

cy

It seems logical that satisfied customers will someday become loyal customers, in other words

there is a positive correlation between customer satisfaction scores and customer buying

behavior. If a customer rates the car very high in satisfying his or her needs, the car manufacturer

should expect more referrals and this is reflected in the analysis that 73% customers say that they

will refer their car to their friends even if they move to other segment or other brand.

Customer Perception

11

17 17

23

7

6 7

12

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Same Segment,same

manufacturer

Same Segment,different

manufacturers

UpperSegment, SameManufacturer

UpperSegment,Different

Manufacturer

Customer Actions

Val

ues C

B



The analysis shows that most people when moving to upper segment will prefer a different

manufacturer. And the next striking finding is that the customers will prefer both same and

different manufacturers in the B segment cars and there is not much difference in the C segment

also. This behavior is complex to understand as this are the customers who have given whopping

response for recommending their car to their friends. It’s the reason why brand perception is so

difficult to understand.

Demographics

20

41

21

17

age group

<21

21-35

36-55

>55

MONTHLY FAMILY INCOME



33

28

19

19

monthly family

income

<50,000

50,001-1,00,000

1,00,001-2,00,000

>2,00,001

Above graphs exhibits the income bracket of the sample size, as evident the majority of the

sample is in the income bracket of < 50,000 a month income. Though none of the bracket is

highly skewed, this enables the study to be wide and not dependent on a set income class, which

was a fortunately desirable result of simple random sampling.

1. Motive to buy the car*segment car B and C

Affordable prices

Technical Superiority over competition

Comfort

manufacturer's image

value for money

SafetyAfter sales service

respondant's objective buying a car brand

0

5

10

15

20

Coun

t

segment Car B

Estilo

Wagon R

Swift

Santro

Getz

Indica V2

Aveo

Esteem

Baleno

Accent

Verna

Indigo Marine

Indigo

Optra

Bar Chart

According to the result, I found that choice of car depends upon these following factors:

So the choice of car is not driven only by intensive factors such as brand perception but is hugely

influenced by extensive factors such as price, service, and models available, financing options

etc. also the choice of the car is largely influenced by the manufacture image. This is why Maruti

is perceived as a value for money car and Getz emerges out as a winner in the B segment for this

criteria. As Getz is from the house of Hyundai known for its technology and great design is far



better perceived as a preferred car than other cars. But a word of caution here, this perception

may or may not result in a converted sale.

2. Recommend the car to your friend*ranking of Brand and company

yes no

Would you recommend your car to your friends

0

10

20

30

40

Coun

t

respondants' ranking of

brand and company

image

Very Low

Low

Neutral

High

Very High

Bar Chart

The graph shows that people who rank their car high or very high on the brand image are the

people who recommend their car to their friend. This is something the car companies should look

for as these people may not be the brand loyal but are definitely the people who help a company

to reinforce the brand image propagated by the company.

3. ranking of Brand and Image*Segment B and C car

Very Low Low Neutral High Very High

respondants' ranking of brand and company image

0

2

4

6

8

10

Coun

t

segment Car B and

C

Estilo

Wagon R

Swift

Santro

Getz

Indica V2

Aveo

Esteem

Baleno

Accent

Verna

Indigo Marine

Indigo

Optra

Bar Chart

This graph shows that how brand image is useful in making the choice of a car especially in the

B and C segment. So, Santro is the car whose brand image is on the top and it’s the most

preferred car.



CONCLUSION

To conclude, the results show that the companies are playing on the peripheral cues to maintain

their Total Relationship Management and connect to the customers both present and potential.

The companies are operating in a highly aggressive and competitive global market place and this

climate has led to the emphasis on quality in all aspects. TQM focuses on integration and

coordination as well as the continuous improvement of all activities and processes. Total

Relationship Management (TRM) is a very recent marketing strategy and philosophy. It focuses

on and is concerned with all integrated internal and external activities within and between the

organizations. These two terms are integrated by the manufacturers by building good quality

products and building good relationship with dealers and enhancing service levels.

However, when studied from the point of view of a customer there seems to be no major

difference among the car brands in a segment as far as performance is concerned. The brand

perception is dependant mostly on the peripheral cues depending upon the nature and quality of

the service provided along with the pricing, maintenance, availability of spare parts and related

issues. So, a question arises here that is this the end of road for the branding of cars? Has the

commoditization of cars has started and its time that manufacturers must read the writing on the

wall? It seems so! It seems as an undercurrent sentiment is flowing and the perception of the

customers is changing according to it. So this might be the reason that despite Verna faring so

high on the performance parameters still lags on the account of converted sales.

The study shows that brand perception is something which starts building up before a car is

purchased and goes on with its use and is reflected in the recommendations the customer makes

to his acquaintances for the same car. Also, its seen that the customer might not be using the car

still he holds the perceptions about it. Brand personality of a car is enforced by the sellers in the

mindsets of the customers and the customers react to it by forming their perceptions about the car

and this reflects in the overall brand image of the car. So brand image and brand personality

complement each other and the brand perception aids the building of brand images. Dealers, as

per the study findings, play a very important role in building up the brand perception of the cars.

Since dealers are the connecting link between the customers and the manufacturers thus

becoming the most important link in joining the company to its customers as he is the person

who will sell the product, will deliver it and will keep on providing the after sales services to the



customers as and when required. So, it becomes necessary automatically to study dealer as a part

of customers’ satisfaction journey with the product called car! Their proximity to the customers,

the service provided by them and the relationship maintained by them with the customers helps

the car companies to establish and reinstate the brand personality communicated by them to the

customers. Finally the major point that emerges out of this detailed study is a caution for the car

companies. It says that there is no doubt that Indian car market may be growing with a double

digit figure still the car companies have a long way to travel to convince their customers about

the brand personality of their cars and how it suits the prospective buyers. Simply because it

simply is not a guarantee that how so ever good the customer might be holding the brand

perception and how so ever good the brand image may be it is not a guarantee that it will convert

into sale. Cars just like clothes and accessories suit the style and persona of a person and since all

cars will become commodity someday the key to sell and excel in the market will lie with a

person who knows how to use the perceptions of the customers to its use and sell the cars ‘coz

ultimately only that car survives which sells!

REFERENCES

1) Kotler et al. (2004) Chapter 7, pp. 242-244, 'Consumer behaviour' and 'A model of

consumer behaviour'.

2) David L. Albert J. Della Bitta, “ Consumer Behavior ” Fourth edition, Tata McGraw Hill,

pp - 22 -25

3) Solomon Michal R. ( 2006 ) “ Consumer Behavior ” Pearson Education Delhi pp 31 – 35

4) Hawkins, Del I., R. J. Best, and K. A. Coney (1983), Consumer Behavior: Implications

for Marketing Strategy, Plano, Texas: Business Publications Inc.

Websites -

1) http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/industrystatistics.aspx

2) http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/gross-turnover.aspx

3) http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/market-share.aspx

4) http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/domestic-sales-trend.aspx

5) http://www.learnmarketing.net/consumer.htm

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