Empirical Study of Consumer Perception Towards Select Car Brands

Consumer perception has an equivalent role to play in the growth and development of the Automobile Industry. Consumers perceive each brand in the form of certain categories. Combining these characteristics helps the consumer to outline perception about the brand. In order to accomplished the objectives a quick descriptive survey of 50 car owners respondents selected randomly from Mhapsa town of Goa state was conducted by administering structured questionnaire. The respondent's perception was analyzed on the basis of rank order method. This list ranks the eight key factors by how important they were to consumers while buying a new car. Likert five point scales was used to measure attributes affecting purchasing decision. The reading concludes that design/style has top consideration, followed by performance/efficiency, safety, brand, maintenance cost, environment concern, technological advancement and resale value. While the characteristics reproduce a brand's image in consumers’ minds, they do not replicate the definite qualities of any brand's vehicles.