JD Power Asia Pacific Report had always been enticing us for the most of car buying decisions in our country. Hence this time a new report from the firm is claiming that buyers are getting lured to the brands who are offering short delivery period on their vehicles, rather than those who cue up for longer waiting periods.
The report further states, during the past five years, several shifts have occurred among new-vehicle buyers in the various regions of India pertaining to shopping behavior, the ownership experience and how the vehicle is used.
Mentioned below are the shifts what the JD Power Asia Pacific has found out during the course of research:
- A surge of first-time new-vehicle buyers is a regional phenomenon limited to the East and the West regions of India. Nearly 70 percent of buyers in the West and 57 percent of buyers in the East are purchasing a new vehicle for the first time. In contrast, the proportion of first-time new-vehicle buyers has declined over time in the North region and has remained nearly unchanged in the South.
- Although attractive design and styling has increasingly become the most influential reason for vehicle selection among buyers in the North region, it has been declining in the South, where new-vehicle buyers frequently state good fuel efficiency as a reason for purchase.
- New-vehicle buyers in the South region are more methodical in their purchase process—which involves conducting extensive preliminary research, visiting dealerships, taking test drives and negotiating—compared with buyers in the North who tend to do less research before visiting the dealership and rely on the salesperson for information and are less likely to test-drive the vehicle.
- Internet usage for research during the vehicle-shopping process has increased in the South region to 42 percent in 2013 from 21 percent in 2009. In contrast, in the North, where shoppers are highly influenced by the opinions of friends and relatives in deciding on their vehicle purchase, Internet usage for research has declined to 13 percent in 2013 from 20 percent in 2009.
- While the number of households owning multiple vehicles is at least 1.6 times higher in the North than in any other region, the average number of people riding in vehicles is much higher in the West and the South regions.
- The penetration of small cars is declining at a faster pace in the North region, with consumers increasingly preferring larger vehicles.
As per to the gist, the dealer which has remained closest to the potential buyer’s home enjoys the status of being the most influential dealer for selection. It is also been witnessed, ‘immediate delivery’ temperament is increasingly emerging as a key consideration in choosing a dealer, cited by 16 percent of customers as the most influential reason for selecting a dealer in 2013, up from 8 percent in 2009.
Longer delivery period is said to be the second-most-influential reason for rejecting a vehicle that shoppers had initially considered purchasing. An increase in vehicle delivery time to 12 days in 2013 from five days in 2009 has likely driven this as a key consideration during the purchase process, as 17 percent of shoppers in 2013 have rejected the vehicle they initially considered due to the longer delivery period.
Overall, Maruti Suzuki has remained the most considered nameplate among vehicle shoppers for a ninth consecutive year, with 37 percent of all shoppers eventually purchasing one of its models. New-vehicle buyers who purchase Ford and Fiat models shop around the most before purchasing their vehicle, while buyers of such national brands as Tata, Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki are least likely to consider another model during the shopping process.
