A Study of Automobile Consumers’ Purchasing Decision Behavior in Mainland China－－Take Guangzhou For Example

• Main Authors: Cheng-Jie Chang, 張正杰
• Other Authors: William B. Crawford
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/53543226573051008652

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 大陸研究所 === 90 === In recent years, with the advent of rapid economic growth in mainland China， private income and the living standard have both improved steadily. In 2002, mainland China is on the verge of a period of dramatic increase in personal automobile purchasing. According to the statistics, at present there is on average one automobile for every 150 people in Mainland China. This figure is 1.3 people for the United States, 1.6 people for Western Europe and eight people for the world. If Mainland China intends to reach the world average, the demand for automobiles in Mainland China’s marketplace will reach more than 150 million. Such a huge potential demand should make the world’s automobile manufacturers, long plagued by excess capacity, anxious to enter the market.. Since the automobile is a high-value durable product which is still a luxury for consumers in Mainland China, such purchases will be made only after careful thought, and those who wish to sell successfully will have to study the consumer carefully. Keeping this in mind, this study will probe into some salient aspects of consumer behavior in order to understand the automobile consumers’ purchasing decision behaviors in Mainland China,. The purposes in the study are as follows: 1. To determine the attributes of the automobile the consumers value most in Mainland China. 2. To explore the motives for automobile purchase in Mainland China. 3. To explore behaviors relevant to selection and purchase among automobile consumers in Mainland China. 4. To determine what the major sources of information related to automobile products are for consumers in Mainland China. 5. To explore the relationship between the four issues described above and the consumer’s individual characteristics. Data was collected at seven primary automobile selling sites in Guangzhou, China during the middle of March in 2002, using a written closed-end questionnaire, with 323 effective samples obtained. The results of this study show that consumers in Guangzhou value the factors of structural safety and the after-sales service most highly, but also place a fairly high value on other attributes as well. Thus, in order to satisfy the requests from the consumers, every automobile company should emphasize a wide range of automobile functions and characteristics, giving special emphasis to safety. The most important motives for consumers to purchase an automobile are “to maintain control over time” and “expand living space”, while the least important is “pursuit of being stylish ”. Because there are still very few consumers who can even afford an automobile, pursuit of stylishness may be unattainable for most, and therefore, not be a primary motive for them. Other findings include three years in the future as the most likely time for purchase for a majority of consumers. Five years in the future, as provided in the treaty between the United States and mainland China, the import customs duties on automobiles will decrease to 25%, lowering the price of automobiles in China’s domestic market greatly. Since potential purchasers of private automobile are generally aware of these provisions, most will hold onto their money and wait for the best timing to make their purchase, except for the few who need to use cars immediately. As for preferences concerning nationality of automobile manufacturer in either the new or used market, Japanese automobiles enjoy the strongest preference, with European automobiles next, and domestic ones third. Few purchasers will choose the others. (Korean automobiles are the majority in the “other” category.) As for sources of information on automobiles, the main source is printed ads, while the second most important source is auto shows, with TV commercials next. Automobile companies will find that advertising through these three main sources of information will maximize exposure. KEYWORDS: MAINLAND CHINA, AUTOMOBILE CONSUMER, GUANGZHOU CITY.