Complexity of buying decisions in auto market

“The foggy state of mind that propels people to buy a car is something that automakers would love to be able to tap into if they could only get them at just that precise moment . . . ,” says Thomas Powers, an expert in the psychology of obsession with the automobile. Judging from this […]

“The foggy state of mind that propels people to buy a car is something that automakers would love to be able to tap into if they could only get them at just that precise moment . . . ,” says Thomas Powers, an expert in the psychology of obsession with the automobile.

Judging from this assertion from Powers, it is clear that automobile industries face difficult challenge in deciding critical matters concerning the outlook and inner components of cars because of complexity involved in really appreciating consumer wants.

This explains the reason why research is important in the field of automobile industry. Truls Thorstensen, Head of EFS Consulting in Vienna, notes that “When investing in a new passenger car, you’re talking about billions”, and therefore warns that “If you get the wrong styling, you get problems.”

In a research conducted by Thorstensen together with a group of experts, including Sonja Windhager, an anthropologist at the University of Vienna, 20 males and 20 females were asked to rate 38 passenger car models which came out between 2004 and 2006.

In this research, participants assessed cars based on a system known as geometric morphometrics (GM), which allowed the men and women to rate certain traits on a sliding scale (such as “infancy” to “adulthood”). The traits represented maturity, sex, attitudes, emotions, and personality — all things that people infer from human faces at a single glance.

The study revealed people overwhelmingly preferred cars that rated highest on “power” traits.” High “power” cars like the BMW 5 Series tended to be lower or wider, and have slit-like or angled headlights with a wider air intake. The participants also largely agreed on which cars had which traits, such as arrogant, afraid and agreeable. A few traits such as disgusted, extroverted and sad caused more disagreement.

The energy and passion which people have reflect in their attitudes towards cars. Some people are always anxious to purchase the latest models of vehicles as soon as they begin to get information about the upcoming new sedans.

One car which people are said to be eager about is 2014 Range Rover Vogue. Unconfirmed report has it that car dealers have begun to order for the brand to satisfy their customers who want the latest and more adventurous options.