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Abstract:
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Automobile Industry in India is influenced by the presence of national and multi-national
manufacturers. The presence of many manufacturers and brands in the state provides many
choices to the customer. The current market for car manufacturers has been transformed from a
monopoly of one or two manufacturers in the seventies to oligopoly of many manufacturers in
the current marketing scenario. The main objective of the research paper is to explore and
conceptualize various parameters and develop a model, which influence the purchase patterns of
passenger cars in the State of Kerala. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to come up with a
model, which shall facilitate further study on the consumer purchase behaviour patterns of
passenger car owners in the State of Kerala, India. The author intends to undertake further
quantitative analysis to verify and validate the model so developed. The main methods used for
this paper are secondary research on available material, depth interview of car dealers, car
financing agencies and car owners in the city of Cochin, in Kerala State in India.
The depth interviews were conducted with the use of prepared questionnaire for car dealers, car
customers and car financing agencies. The findings resulted in the identification of the
parameters that influence the consumer purchase behaviour of passenger cars and the
formulation of the model, which will be the basis for the further research of the author. The
paper will be of tremendous value to the existing and new car manufacturers both indigenous
and foreign, to formalize and strategies their policies towards an effective marketing strategy, so
as to market their models in the State, which is known for its high literacy, consumerism and
higher educational penetration |