A STUDY ON CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCES TOWARD SEDAN

CAR IN CHENNAI

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of

Master of Business Administration

By

LOGESH KUMAR. R
REG NO: 39410104

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SATHYABAMA
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
Accredited with Grade “A” by NAAC I 12B Status by UGC I Approved by AICTE
Jeppiaar Nagar, RAJIV GANDHI SALAI, CHENNAI - 600 119

April - 2021
 SATHYABAMA
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)

Accredited with “A” grade by NAAC I 12B Status by UGC I Approved by AICTE

Jeppiaar Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Chennai – 600 119

www.sathyabama.ac.in

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this project report is the Bonafide work of LOGESH KUMAR.R Reg no:

39410104 who carried out the project “A STUDY ON CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCES

TOWARD SEDAN CAR IN CHENNAI” under our supervision from January 2021 to March 2021

Dr. JOHN BRITTO. M

Internal Guide

Dr. BHUVANESWARI G.
Dean – School of Business Administration

Submitted for Viva voce Examination held on .

Internal Examiner External Examiner

 DECLARATION

I LOGESH KUMAR.R REG NO: 39410104 hereby declare that the Project Report entitled “A

Study on Consumer Brand Preferences toward Sedan Car in Chennai” done by me

Under the guidance for Dr.M.JOHN BRITTO, submitted in Partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the award of Master of Business Administration Degree.

DATE: LOGESH KUMAR. R

PLACE:
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am pleased to acknowledge my sincere thanks to Board of Management of SATHYABAMA

for their kind encouragement in doing this project and for completing it successfully. I am

grateful to them.

I convey my sincere thanks to Dr. BHUVANESWARI G., Dean, School of Business

Administration and Dr. PALANI A., Head, School of Business Administration for providing me

necessary support and details at the right time during the progressive reviews.

I would like to express my sincere and deep sense of gratitude to my Project Guide Dr.

M. JOHN BRITTO for his valuable guidance, suggestions and constant encouragement paved way

for the successful completion of my project work.

I wish to express my thanks to all Teaching and Non-teaching staff members of the School of

Business Administration who were helpful in many ways for the completion of the project.

(LOGESH KUMAR.R)
 ABSTRACT:

The Automobile industry has one of the most frequently pre-owned by superior and
middle class society. In advance of 20 years only little industrialists and superior
persons have automobile then after industry receive huge size of middle class society
has been increased. At now a day’s automobile sector they bring has a mandatory one
to people, According to this research consumer taste and satisfaction level about the
sedan cars in Chennai. And 153 of sample size of respondents has collected through by
questionnaire to ready analyze the new data. The collected new information has be
analyzed by percentage analysis method, ANOVA Method and chi-square method, Are
these tools has been applied by using SPSS software.

i
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER NO. TITLE PAGE NO
ABSTRACT i
LIST OF TABLES ii
LIST OF CHARTS iii
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Industry Profile 10
1.3 Topic 18
1.4 Need for the Study 31
1.5 Scope and Significance of Study 31
1.6 Objectives of the Study 32
1.7 Limitations of the Study 33
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 34
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design 41
3.2 Sampling Technique 41
3.3 Sources of Data 41
3.4 Structure of Questionnaire 41
3.5 Sample Size 41
3.6 Period of Study 41
3.7 Hypothesis/ Analytical Tools 41
4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 Test – I Data Analysis Interpretation 42
4.2 Test – II Chi-square 67
4.3 Test – III ANOVA 72
5 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Findings of the Study 76
5.2 Suggestions 77
5.3 Conclusion 78
REFERENCES 79
BIBLIOGRAPHY 82
APPENDIX – I (Questionnaire) 83
APPENDIX – II (Article) 87

ii
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO PARTICULARS PAGE NO

4.1.1 Gender wise classification of the respondents 42
4.1.2 Agewise classification of the respondents 43
4.1.3 Occupation of respondents 44
4.1.4 Yearly Income of respondents 45
4.1.5 Information Regarding purchasing a car 45
4.1.6 Type of car be chosen 46
4.1.7 Type of Brand be chosen 48
4.1.8 Budget to buy a car 50
4.1.9 Fuel preference of respondents 51
4.1.10 Fuel consumption of car respondents 52
4.1.11 Type of rim preferring 53
4.1.12 Motive to buy a car respondents 54
4.1.13 Gearbox preference 55
4.1.14 Sun roof on top 56
4.1.15 Service maintenance of car respondents 57
4.1.16 Kind of mileage preference 58
4.1.17 Purpose of buying sedan cars respondents 59
4.1.18 Which country will be preferred 60
4.1.19 Interest rates car loans respondents 61
4.1.20 Type of Payment terms do you prefer 62
4.1.21 Type of promotion respondents 63
4.1.22 Sedan car attract today generation respondents 64
4.1.23 Satisfy with sedan car respondents 65
4.1.24 Would you recommend sedan cars respondents 66

iii
 LIST OF CHARTS

TABLE NO PARTICULARS PAGE NO

4.1.1 Gender wise classification of the respondents 42
4.1.2 Age wise classification of the respondents 43
4.1.3 Occupation of respondents 44
4.1.4 Yearly Income of respondents 45
4.1.5 Information Regarding purchasing a car 45
4.1.6 Type of car be chosen 46
4.1.7 Type of Brand be chosen 48
4.1.8 Budget to buy a car 50
4.1.9 Fuel preference of respondents 51
4.1.10 Fuel consumption of car respondents 52
4.1.11 Type of rim preferring 53
4.1.12 Motive to buy a car respondents 54
4.1.13 Gearbox preference 55
4.1.14 Sun roof on top 56
4.1.15 Service maintenance of car respondents 57
4.1.16 Kind of mileage preference 58
4.1.17 Purpose of buying sedan cars respondents 59
4.1.18 Which country will be preferred 60
4.1.19 Interest rates car loans respondents 61
4.1.20 Type of Payment terms do you prefer 62
4.1.21 Type of promotion respondents 63
4.1.22 Sedan car attract today generation respondents 64
4.1.23 Satisfy with sedan car respondents 65
4.1.24 Would you recommend sedan cars respondents 66

iv
 CHAPTER-1

1.1 INTRODUCTION:
The automobile produce industry in India year back to 1948, At that time close by are just
three companies produce passenger cars, Premier Automobiles in Mumbai, Hindustan
Motors (HM) in Kolkata & Standard Motors Products India in Chennai. In early years the
Indian industry faced several challenges and road blocks to improve because in those days
automobile manufacturing was subject to restrictive tariff structure, strict licensing and
limited avenues for expansion due to lack of competition initially the prices of cars were
extremely high and thus the purchasers had to attend for an extended period of a quick time
for car, Before Independence India was considered as a marketplace for imported vehicles,
within the 1950s the arrival of Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra & Bajaj Auto led to
steadily increasing vehicle production in India. In 1953 the government of India and in
consquence the private sector start attempt to form an automotive part manufacturing
industry to supply to the car industry. By absolutely the higher of 1970s, significant
changes within the industry were witnessed, After 1970 the car industry began to grow, but
that growth was mainly driven by scooters, tractors and commercial vehicles. In 1983, the
govt. of India made a tie-hitch with Suzuki Motor Corperation of Japan to manufacture
low-cost cars in India. The Maruti 800 which remains known unrolled the factory of
Maruti Udyog Limited in December 1983 and altered not just India’s industry but also the
way people commuted and travelled. In 1990s through liberalization initiatives India
opened its gates for all the countries and in 1993, the govt. followed up its liberalization
measures with note worthy depletion within the duty on automobile components. Today
the Indian automobile market features a mix of giant domestic automobile players like Tata
Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj, Hero Motorcar, Ashok Leyland and major
international huge including Suzuki, Honda, BMW, Audi, Daimler, Volvo, Hyundai,
Toyota, Nissan, General Motors and Ford etc.

1
DEVELOPMENT BEFORE WORLD WAR-1
Most advance automobile companies were small shops, many which each make a few of
handmade cars, and nearly all of which abandoned the business soon after going into it.
The handful that survived into the age of large-scale production had certain characteristics
in common. First, they fell into one of three well-defined categories: they were makers of
bicycles, like Opel in Germany and Morris in Great Britain; builders of horse-drawn
vehicles, like Durant and Studebaker within the United States; or, most frequently ,
machinery manufacturers. the kinds of machinery comprise stationary gas engines
(Daimler of Germany, Lanchester of England , Olds of the United States), marine engines
(Vauxhall of Britain), machine tools (Leland of the United States), sheep-shearing
machinery (Wolseley of Britain), washing machines (Peerless of the United States), sewing
machines (White of the United States), and woodworking and milling machinery (Panhard
and Leaser of France). One American company, penetrate, made birdcages, and another,
automobile, made plumbing fixtures, including the first enamelled cast- iron bathtub. Two
notable exceptions to the general pattern were Rolls-Royce in Britain and Ford within the
us, both of which were founded as carmakers by partners who combined engineering talent
and business skill.
In the us most of the producers were bunch that put together components and parts that
were manufactured by separate firms. The assembly process also lent itself to an powerful
method of financing. it had been possible to start out building automobiles with a minimal
investment of capital by buying parts on credit and selling the finished cars for cash; the
cash sale from manufacturer to dealer has been integral within the marketing of
automobiles within the us ever since. European automotive firms of this era attended be
more self-sufficient.
The pioneer automobile manufacturer not only had to unravel the technical and financial
problems of getting into production but also had to make a basic decision about what to
provide. After the first success of the ICE, there was widespread experimentation with
steam and electricity. For a fast period the electrical automobile actually enjoyed the
simplest acceptance because it had been quiet and easy to figure, but the restrictions
imposed by battery capacity proved competitively fatal. Especially fashionable women,
electric cars remained in limited production well into the 1920s. one among the longest-
surviving makers, Detroit power company , operated on a day to day through 1929.

2
Steam power, a more significant rival, was aided by the general adoption, after 1900, of the
so-called flash boiler, during which steam could be raised rapidly. The steam car was easy
to figure because it didn't require an elaborate transmission. On the other hand, high
condensation pressures were needed to make the engine light sufficent to be used during a
road vehicle; suitable engines required expensive construction and were difficult to require
care of. By 1910 most manufacturers of haze vehicles had turned to petrol power. The
Stanley brothers within the us, but continued to manufacture haze automobiles until the
primary 1920s.
As often happens with a replacement technology, the automotive industry experienced
patent controversies in its early years. Most notable were two long, drawn-out lawsuits in
Britain and thus the us , in each of which a promoter sought to understand control of the
new industry by filing comprehensive patents. In Britain the declare was rejected by the
courts in 1901, five years after the appliance. Within the us there was a legal battle
between Ford and thus the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers over the
Selden patent, which the association claimed as a basic patent on the gasoline-powered car.
In 1911 the courts clutch the patent “valid but not violate by Ford. the most consequence
of the selection was the formation of the predecessor of the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers to supervise an agreement for cross-licensing patents, which was ratified in
1915.

MASS PRODUCTION
The outstanding gift of the automotive industry to executive advance was the introduction
of full-scale production, a process combining precision, standardization, inters
changeability, synchronization, and continuity. production was an American innovation.
The me, with its highly population, top quality of living, and long distances, was the native
birthplace of the technique, which had been partly explored within the 19th century.
Although Europe had shared within the experimentation, the American role was
emphasized within the favored description of standardization and interchangeability as “the
American system of manufacture.” the essential techniques were known, but that that that
they had not

3
previously been applied to the manufacture of a mechanism as complex as a automobile
(see work, history of the organization of).
The kind of trade achieved by the “American system” was completely demonstrated in
1908 at British Royal Automobile Club in London: three Cadillac cars were disassembled,
the parts were mixed together, 89 parts were detach incidental and replaced from dealer’s
stock, and thus the cars were reassembled and driven 800 km (500 miles) without trouble.
Henry M. Leland, founding father of the Cadillac Motor auto company and thus the author
for this feat of showmanship, later enlisted the help of a noted engineer , Charles F.
Kettering, in grow the electrical starter, a huge innovation in develop the acceptability of
the gasoline- powered automobile.

FORD and thus the production line

The mass-produced automobile is usually and properly attributed to Ford , but he wasn't
alone in seeing the possibilities during a mass market. Ransom E. Olds made the primary
vital offer for the mass market with a famous curved-rush Oldsmobile buggy in 1901. the
primary Oldsmobile was a well-liked car, it had been too lightly built to confront to rough
usage. an equivalent defect applied to Olds’s imitators. Ford, more victorious in realizing
his dream of “a car for the good multitude,” designed his car first then considered the
matter of manufacturing it cheaply. The car was the so-called Model T , the best-known
automobile in history. it had been built to be durable for service on the rough American
country roads of that period, economical to work , and straightforward to need care of and
repair. it had been first placed on the market in 1908, and quite 15 million were built before
it had been discontinued in 1927.
When the planning of the Model T proved successful, Ford and his associates turned to the
matter of manufacturing the car in large volume and at a coffee cost . the answer was found
within the moving production line , how first tested in assembling magnetos. After more
experimentation, in 1913 the Ford Motor Company showed the world the entire assembly-
line production of automobiles . The technique contain of two basic elements: a carrier
system and thus the limitation of every worker to a minimum of one repetitive
task. Despite its

4
misleading simplicity, the technique required complicated planning and synchronization.

SPREAD OF production
Ford’s success inspired imitation and competition, but his primacy remained unchallenged
until he lost it within the mid-1920s by refusing to acknowledge that the Model T had
become outmoded. More luxurious and better-styled cars appeared at prices not much
above that of the Model T , and these were increasingly available to low-income
purchasers through a growing used-car market. In Britain, William R. Morris (later Lord
Nuffield) undertook to imitate Ford as early as 1912, but he found British engineering
firms reluctant to commit themselves to the large-scale manufacture of automotive parts.
Morris actually turned to the us for his parts, but these early efforts were curtail by war I.
within the 1920s Morris resumed the assembly of low-priced cars, in conjunction together
with his British competitor Herbert Austin and André-Gustave Citroën and Louis Renault
in France. British manufacturers had to face the matter of a tax on horsepower, calculated
on a formula supported bore and thus the quantity of cylinders. The effect was to
encourage the planning of small engines that had cylinders with narrow bore and long
stroke, in contrast to the wide-bore, short- stroke engines favored elsewhere. This design
hamper the sale of British cars abroad and kept production from increasing. it had been not
up to 1934 that Morris Motors eventually felt confirm in installing a moving assembly line;
the Hillman Company had preceded Morris during this by a year or two.

LARGE SCALE ORGANIZATION:

Although the looks of production inside the automotive industry tally with the emergence
of large-scale business , the two had originated independently. They were related, however,
and influenced one another because the industry expanded. Only an outsized firm could
make the heavy investment in plant and tooling that the production line required, and Ford
was already the foremost important single American producer when it introduced the
technique. The mass producer successively enjoyed a price advantage that attended
make it

5
increasingly difficult for smaller competitors to survive. There are exceptions, but the trend
has been consistent.

GENERAL MOTORS

General Motors Corporation (GM), which ultimately became the world’s largest
automotive firm and the largest privately owned manufacturing enterprise in the world,
was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant, a carriage manufacturer of Flint, Michigan. In
1904 he assumed control of the ailing Buick Motor Company and made it one of the
principal American producers. Durant developed the idea for a combination that would
produce a variety of models and control its own parts producers. As initially formed,
General Motors included four major vehicle manufacturers—Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile,
and Oakland—and an assortment of smaller firms. The combine ran into financial trouble
in 1910 and was reorganized by a financial syndicate. A similar combination, the United
States Motor Corporation, was formed in 1910, collapsed in 1912, and was
reorganized as the Maxwell Motor Company. General Motors survived. A new
reorganization took place after Durant, with backing by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and
Company, regained control in 1916. Durant, who had previously established the Chevrolet
Motor Company, brought Chevrolet into GM in 1918.

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN WORLD WAR -II

During World War I the productive capacity of the automotive industry first demonstrated
its military value. Motor vehicles were used extensively for transport and supply. In
addition, automotive plants could readily be converted into facilities for manufacturing
military equipment, including tanks and aircraft. For all of the belligerents the
conversion of automotive facilities was an afterthought, improvised after the beginning of
hostilities, and the American industry, involved only for a short time, never fully utilized
its capacity.

More preparation was made for using the resources of the various automotive industries as
World War II approached. The British government built “shadow

6
factories” adjacent to their automotive plants, equipped to go into military production
(principally aircraft) when war came, with managerial and technical personnel drawn from
the automotive industry. France attempted conversion, but belatedly and inefficiently. The
German automotive industry, which built the military vehicles needed for blitzkrieg, was
not fully converted to military production until 1943. In the United States the preparation
for industrial mobilization was negligible until 1940; in fact, there was no serious effort
even to restrict civilian automobile production until after the attack on Pearl Harbor in
December 1941. Still, the American automotive industry represented such a concentration
of productive capacity and skill that, once its resources had been harnessed to war
production, its contribution was tremendous. Between 1940 and 1945 automotive firms
made almost $29 billion worth of military materials, a fifth of the country’s entire output.
The list included 2,600,000 military trucks and 660,000 jeeps, but production extended
well beyond motor vehicles. Automotive firms provided one- half of the machine guns
and carbines made in the United States during the war,
60 percent of the tanks, all the armoured cars, and 85 percent of the military helmets and
aerial bombs.

AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA:

The Indian automobile market is one of the largest in the world, both in terms of sales
volume and production. Talking about historical roots of the car market in India, the first
time that a vehicle came on road was in 1897. Till 1930, India did not have any
manufacturing facility and cars were imported directly from other countries. The landmark
decade in the manufacturing process was that of 1940s, in which Indian companies like
Hindustan Motors and Premier started to manufacture cars of other firms. During the same
decade, Mahindra & Mahindra also started to produce utility vehicles.
Soon after independence 1947, Government of India tried to create an automotive
component manufacturing industry in order to supplement the automobile fraternity. From
1960 to 1980s, the Indian market was dominated by Hindustan Motors, which gathered a
large amount of share due to its Ambassador model. However, during 1950s till 1960s, the
overall industry moved at a slow pace due to trade restrictions set on imports. Soon after
this repressive phase, demand surged

7
but to a smaller extent, which was mainly seen in the tractor and commercial vehicles
segment.
It was in 1980s that the two firms, Hindustan Motors and Premier, were challenged by a
new entrant, Maruti Udyog Limited. Soon after liberalization period, car makers that were
previously not allowed to invest in Indian market due to stringent policies arrived in the
country. Post liberalization, the alliance between Maruti and Suzuki was the first joint
venture between an Indian company and foreign one. Slowly and steadily, the economic
reforms brought in the led to the entry of major foreign companies like Hyundai and
Honda, which expanded their bases to the country. From 2000 to 2010, almost every major
car company expanded its presence to India by establishing manufacturing facilities across
different parts of the country.
As the manufacturing process during early 2000 decade gained traction, exports of cars
was quite slow in that period. Maruti Suzuki was among the first car brands that started
shipping vehicles to major European markets. During the same decade, the Government of
India introduced mandatory emission norms in order to reduce pollution arising out from
vehicles. The updated guidelines were known as 'Bharat Stage' came into effect in major
cities as these standards were based on stringent European norms. At present, Bharat Stage
IV is implemented in 13 cities that include Delhi (NCR), Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Sholapur, and Agra
while the rest of the nation is still under Bharat Stage III.

Over the years, the car market in India has evolved by leaps and bounds as almost all
major companies are present in the country. India has now become a hub for auto makers
to set up their plants for manufacturing vehicles intended for domestic and international
markets. The three prominent regions in which the majority of Indian car industry is
concentrated lies in south, west and north. In the southern region, Chennai is the hub for
manufacturing vehicles while Mumbai and Pune belt comes in second place. For the north,
the NCR holds a fair share as far as concentration of production facilities is concerned.
To list a few commendable feats of the Indian car industry, it emerged as the fourth largest
exporter of passenger cars behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand in 2009. While in
2010, India emulated its previous year's performance to

8
become the third largest exporter of cars in Asia. The biggest reward came for the Indian
car market in 2011 as it became the sixth largest country in the world in terms of
production.

STRUCTURE AND MAKEUP OF THE INDIAN AUTOMOBILE

INDUSTRY

The Indian automobile industry – comprising of the automobile and the automotive
components segments – is one of the key drivers of economic growth of India. Being
deeply integrated with other industrial sectors, it is a major driver of the manufacturing
gross domestic product (GDP), exports, and employment. This sector has grown on
account of its traditional strengths in casting, forging and precision machining,
fabricating (welding, grinding, and polishing) and cost advantages (on account of
availability of abundant low-cost skilled labor), and significant foreign direct investment
(FDI) inflows.

India was the sixth largest producer of automobiles globally with an average annual
production of about 29 million vehicles in 2017–2018, of which about 4 million
were exported.2 India is the largest tractor manufacturer, second largest two-wheeler
manufacturer, second largest bus manufacturer, fifth largest heavy truck manufacturer,
sixth largest car manufacturer, and eighth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. The
contribution of this sector to GDP has increased from 2.77% in 1992–1993 to about 7.1%
now and accounts for about 49% of manufacturing GDP (2015–2016). It employs more
than 29 million people (direct and indirect employment). The turnover of the automobile
industry is approximately US$ 67 billion (2016–2017) and that of the component industry
is US$ 43.5 billion (2015–2016). As per the OICA 6 statistics, the Indian industry accounted
for 4.92% of vehicle production globally in 2017 (5.38% of production in the car
segment and 3.48% of production in the commercial vehicle segment).

India is a prime destination for many multinational automobile companies with aspirations
of business expansion in Asia. It attracted about US$ 14.48 billion (5.2% of total) in
cumulative FDI equity inflows between 2000 and 2015. The

9
basic advantages that the country provides as an investment destination include cost-
effectiveness of operations, efficient manpower, and a fast-growing dynamic market. In the
past, major investments have come from Japan, Italy, and the USA followed by Mauritius
and Netherlands. The industry manufactures a wide range of products to meet both
domestic and international demands.

1.2 INDUSTRY PROFILE

TOP AUTOMOBILE COMPANIES IN INDIA

TATA MOTORS
Tata Motors is the largest automobile manufacturing companies in India. Established way
back in 1945 Tata Motors is a multinational automobile company with its headquarters in
Mumbai. Previously known as Telco TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company Tata
Motors belongs to Tata Group. This company manufactures compact medium sized utility
vehicles. Over the last few decades it has stood as the undisputed leader in the commercial
vehicles segment. It is also the third largest producer of passenger cars in India. This
automobile company in India is listed on both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the New
York Stock Exchange. The revenues earned by Tata Morts in 2010 accounted to $20.572
billion. Some of the well known cars manufactured by Tata Motors are:
TATA INDICA
SUMO
TATAINDIGO
TATASAFARI.

HINDUSTAN MOTORS LIMITED

Hindustan Motors Limited was founded in the year 1942 by B.M Birla. It is an operative
subsidy of the Birla Technical Services group. This company held the title of the biggest
manufacturer of cars in India before Maruti Udyog. Hindustan Motors was the pioneer in
manufacturing automobiles in India. The company accounted for a sales turnover of Rs
150.66 crore in 2010.

10
ASHOK LEYLAND
Ashok Leyland is a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in India. It was established in
1948. The company over the years has become synonymous with the production of trucks,
passenger buses and emergency military vehicles. It happens to be the second largest
commercial vehicle producer in India holding a market share of almost 30 percent. The
company holds a record for selling almost 60, 000 vehicles and almost 7000 engines per
years. Ashok Leyland accounted for consolidated revenues of US$ 1.4 billion in 2009.
Some of the popular products by this company are; Panther BS-II Muti-axle Vehicles.

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED

Maruti Suzuki India Limited was established in 1981. A part of this company is owned by
Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. It is the country's largest passenger car manufacturing
company. Credited for having brought in the automobile revolution in the country Maruti
Suzuki India Limited was known as Maruti Udyog Limited till 2007. With its headquarters
in Delhi this automobile company in India happens to be the largest producer and market
share holder of cars. The company accounted for consolidated revenues of US$4.8 billion
in 2010.

HYUNDAI MOTOR INDIA LIMITED

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is owned entirely by Hyundai Motors of South
Korea. Hyundai Motors happens to be the largest car manufacturer in South Korea and the
sixth largest in the world. This automobile company in India is also the largest passenger
cars exporter in India. Established on May 6 1996 this company in a short span of time has
taken the Indian automobile industry by storm. Some of the popular cars manufactured by
this company are; Santro, Getz Prime, Hyundai i10, Hyundai i20 Accent and the Verna and
Sonata

BAJAJ AUTO

Bajaj Auto is another important automobile manufacturing company in India. It is one of

the India's most trusted car manufacturers. It is an operative subsidy of the Bajaj Group.
Bajaj Auto happens to be the largest two and three wheeler manufacturer in India and also
ranks in this field across the globe. This automobile

11
company was established on 2 November 1945. The company was then known as M/s
Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. The company made a modest beginning by
importing and then selling two and three wheelers in India. Today Bajaj Auto has become
synonymous with two and three wheelers in the country. Some of its popular two wheelers
are; Pulsar 220DTS and Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA

Automobile Technology or automotive technology refers to the technologies that are
incorporated in automobiles or vehicles. With the continuous advancement of technologies
new inventions in the field of automobile technology is only paving the way for more and
more technologically superior and sophisticated vehicles. Automobile technology is one of
the most essential parts of the automobile industry today. There are a number of vehicles
available in the market all of which require different technologies to support their smooth
functioning.

CHANGES IN AUTOMOBILE ENGINES TECHNOLOGY

However the most important changes that has taken place in the automobile industry in
India pertains to the development of the engine. In the cars using petrol the carburetor
engine has been replaced by the Multi Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) engine. Similarly the
engines running on diesel have undergone a sea change from the time Rudolf Diesel to the
Rail Direct Injection (CRDI).

AUTOMOBILE MAINTENANCE IN INDIA

Automobile Maintenance in India is one of the most necessary service related to the Indian
automobile market in India. All the vehicles need regular maintenance as only by this, one
can keep their vehicles secure. Moreover it also indicates the performance and longevity of
the vehicle. Starting from car painting to looking after the auto-parts regularly, everything
falls under the policies of Automobile Maintenance in India. The automobile components
directly related to the performance of the vehicle. Some of the regular processes of
Automobile

12
Maintenance in India are like checking the battery, changing the automobile oils, keeping a
check on it, checking the electrical system to identify a few of them. Some of the most
essential tips required for the owner and also the driver to follow seriously for the well
being of the vehicle and for a proper automobile maintenance in India are as under:
to prevent deterioration of the engines, it is necessary for the engine to maintain the
amount of oil it receives, in order to prevent falling mileage
to have an accurate knowledge of the fuse system which would save the vehicle from
getting stranded due to a blown fuse
to focus the lights of the automobile properly
to check the air pressure of all the tires regularly to
change the water required for the engine
to get the automobile serviced only at authorized and efficient service stations to check
the engine oil level once every two weeks
to check the coolant and water levels in the radiator and battery to use
authentic and genuine spare auto parts always
to provide the vehicle with anti-rust coating before the rainy season
Apart from these general tips on the automobile maintenance in India for safe drive the
driver should also follow some preventative automobile maintenance policies like to check
the air-filter every month, to be cautious while handling the battery, to check the brake
fluid monthly, to get the oil filter replaced with every oil change, and many others. To get a
vivid idea about the Automobile Maintenance in India, the owner and also the drivers
should go through the user manual of the vehicle very seriously.

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA:

Mumbai, Chennai, Jamshedpur, Jabalpur and Kolkata are the chief centres producing
automobiles. These centers produce almost all sorts of vehicles including trucks, buses,
passenger cars, three wheelers and two wheelers.

Motor cycles are also manufactured at Faridabad and Mysore. Scooters are also
manufactured at Lucknow, Satara, Akurdi (Near Pune), Panki (near Kanpur) and Odhav
(Ahmedabad dist.). Maruti Udyog Ltd. (MUL) at Gurgaon in Haryana started production
of passenger cars in 1983. At present there are 38 units

13
engaged in the production of automobiles producing four wheelers, three wheelers and two
wheelers.

MEDIUM AND HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

 Vehicle Factory Jabalpur – started manufacturing Shaktiman trucks with technical

assistance from MAN SE of Germany. The trucks were the main logistics vehicle of the
Indian Army with several specialist variants. VFJ still is the sole supplier of B vehicles to
the Indian Armed Forces.
 Heavy Vehicles Factory – was established in 1965 in Avadi, Chennai to produce
tanks in India. Since its inception, HVF has produced all the tanks of India, including
Vijayanta, Arjun, Ajeya, Bhishma and their variants for the Indian Army. HVF is the only
tank manufacturing facility of India.
 Tata Motors, Pune, then known as TELCO – technical collaboration with
Mercedes Benz to manufacture medium to heavy commercial vehicles both Bus and
Trucks.
 Ashok Motors, later Ashok Leyland, Madras – technical collaboration with
Leyland Motors to manufacture medium to heavy commercial vehicles both Bus and
Trucks. Ashok Motors also discontinued its Austin venture formed in 1948 to sell Austin
A40 and retooled the factory to make trucks and buses.
 Hindustan Motors – technical collaboration with General Motors to manufacture
the Bedford range of medium lorry and bus chassis.
 Premier Automobiles – technical collaboration with Chrysler to manufacture the
Dodge, Fargo range of medium lorry, panel vans, mini-bus and bus chassis.
 Simpsons & Co, Madras – part of Amalgamations Group (TAFE Tractors) –
technical collaboration with Ford to manufacture medium lorry and bus chassis, but did
not utilise that option until the 1980s.

14
ACHIEVEMENTS BY THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES IN INDIA
The development story of the Indian automobile industry cannot be complete without
mentioning the Pioneer Mr. J.R.D Tata’s role in setting up the Tata group with high
standard Engineering Research Centre (ERC) in 1965 to facilitate technological
advancement. Pioneering the indigenization of scientific knowledge for trucks in
collaboration with Mercedes Benze and launched Maruti 800 in the year 1983 which
changed the dynamics of the passenger car sector in India. It was also known as the
people’s car. 60% of the Indian commercial vehicle market is dominated by Tata Motors.
1. The first automobile was launched in India in the year 1897 in Bombay.
2. Today India is being recognized as a potential emerging auto market.
3. The industry adds up foreign players to their investments.
4. 80% of the segment size is contributed by two-wheelers & motorcycles.
5. Indian passenger vehicle market is dominated by cars (79%) unlike the USA.
6. India is the largest three-wheeler & two-wheeler market in the world. It is second
largest tractor manufacturer in the world, fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in
the world.
7. India crossed the 1 million mark as the fourth largest car market in Asia recently.
8. The industry is expected to grow to US$ 40 billion by 2015 from the current level of
US$ 7 billion in 2008. By the year 2016 the industry is expected to contribute 10% of the
nation’s GDP.
9. Very recently history has been created in the world of Automobile Industry by Ratan
Tata, Chairman (Tata Motors) by launching the world’s cheapest car NANO. The price of
the car was around one lakh which gained instant recognition in the automobile industry
across the globe. It heralded the coming to age of the Indian Automobile Industry.
10. India is the second Largest Producer of Motorcycles in the world (5.2 Mln) after China
which has a production volume of 12 Minutes.

HARDTOP SEDANS

Hardtop sedans were a popular body style in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Hardtops are manufactured without a B-pillar leaving uninterrupted open space or, when
closed, glass along the side of the car. The top was intended

15
to look like a convertible's top but it was fixed and made of hard material that did not fold.

All manufacturers in the United States from the early 1950s into the 1970s provided at
least a 2-door hardtop model in their range and, if their engineers could manage it, a 4-
door hardtop as well. The lack of side-bracing demanded a particularly strong and heavy
chassis frame to combat unavoidable flexing. The pillar less design was also
available in four-door models using unibody construction. For example, Chrysler
moved to unibody designs for most of its models in 1960 and American Motors offered
four-door sedans, as well a four-door station wagon from 1958 to 1960 Ambassador.

In 1973 the US government passed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216
creating a standard roof strength test to measure the integrity of roof structure in motor
vehicles to come into effect some years later. Production of hardtop sedan body style
ended with the 1978 Chrysler Newport. For a time roofs were covered with vinyl and B-
pillars were minimized by using styling methods like matt black finishes. Stylists and
engineers soon developed more subtle solutions.

CLOSE-COUPLED SEDANS

Close-coupled saloons originated as four-door thoroughbred sporting horse-drawn

carriages with little room for the feet of rear passengers.

In automotive use, manufacturers in the United Kingdom used the term for development of
the chummy body where passengers were forced to be friendly because they were tightly
packed. They provided weather protection for extra passengers in what would otherwise be
a two-seater car. Two-door versions would be described in the US and France as
coach bodies.A postwar example is the Rover 3 Litre Coupé.

Produced in the United States from the mid-1920s to the mid-1950s, the name club sedan
was used for highly appointed models using the sedan chassis. Some people describe a club
sedan as a two-door vehicle with a body style otherwise identical to the sedan models in
the range. Others describe a club sedan as having either two or four doors and a shorter
roof (and therefore less interior space) than the other sedan models in the range.

16
The term "club sedan" originates from the club carriage (e.g. the lounge or parlour
carriage) in a railroad train.

REVENUE STREAMS
Automobile manufacturers are subject to the demands of a vast international pool of
customers. Economic conditions affect overall industry sales. Car lot traffic perks up
during a boom period, and empty showrooms are commonplace during a downturn.
Driving habits can change according to the economic cycle, and therefore, product lineups
are always shifting, with new models, innovations, and technologies being developed to
meet these demands. As a result, dealerships try to showcase a wide range of offerings,
from small compact cars to sedans to light trucks and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs).
Drivers’ tastes and finances are varied and often change. Thus, showrooms will often have
sports, economy, family, and luxury cars on hand to meet customers’ desires. Luxury
brands, with their high quality standards and advanced features, sell at premium prices and
carry rich margins.
The Automotive Industry is comprised primarily of the world’s largest passenger
automobile and light truck manufacturers. Through broad dealership networks, most
members of the industry sell vehicles in the global market, covering developed and
emerging countries. Automotive manufacturers offer a variety of makes and models,
though there tends to be limited brand integration at the marketing, advertising, and
dealership levels. The bulk of these companies operate production facilities in multiple
geographic regions.

CONCLUSION
The Automotive Industry is an main segment of the global analyst, and its performance
often tracks that of the broader business cycle. Investors look for above-average price
appreciation need to correctly time that cycle when taking a stake in this industry. Some of
the group’s stocks offer a moderate allowance to support investor loyalty. We care that
many of these value carry low marks for Stock Price Stability and Earnings Predictability.
The Automotive Industry is contain essential of the world’s largest passenger
automobile and light truck manufacturers. Between broad dealership networks,

17
most arm of the industry sell vehicles in the global market, covering developed and
emerging countries. Automotive manufacturers provide a variety of makes and copy,
though there tends to be restricted brand integration at the marketing, advertising, and
dealership levels. The dimensions of these companies work production facilities in
multiple geographic regions
1.3 TOPIC
CONSUMER BRAND PERENFERNCES TOWARD SEDAN CAR IN
CHENNAI
The automotive industry has away through a time of fast-paced and major change. Ten
years ago, the most important and successfully selling models for most automakers were
sedans—in 2007, Toyota sold 368,390 Corollas in just the US during one model year—a
staggering figure. It was clear that customers satisfy sedans over other models at the time.
But because then, something strange has happened, resulting in car companies attempting
to rapidly adapt: consumer preferences have shifted away from sedans to crossovers and
SUV’s.

Among the many operate forces behind this, a cause for the shift towards SUV’s is the loss
of many of the disincentives that had traditionally deterred people from purchasing SUV’s
in the past. For most customers, the distinction in gas mileage was a huge selling point and
became a large contributing factor pushing people towards sedans and away from SUV’s—
even if both vehicles were comparably equipped and priced. Back in 2007, the fuel mileage
grade for a Ford Explorer was 14mpg in the city, and 20mpg on the highway—while at the
same time, the Ford Taurus was getting 18mpg city and 25mpg highway. For the customer,
a distinction of 4 mpg city and 5 mpg highway would mean stopping for gas much more
often, making the cost of normal operation much higher for SUVs over their more gasoline
efficient sedan counterparts. Another aspect that shifted consumer’s preferences towards
sedans was safety, specifically with Ford. Ford SUV’s from the first 2000’s—as ably as
other SUV makers at the time—were incredibly prone to rollovers, and were not seen to be
nearly as safe and secure as their sedan equivalent, which encourage people to favor sedans
more SUVs for more than just gas mileage.

18
Since then, the disadvantage and deterrent of SUV’s have decreased or disappeared
altogether, SUV’s are now packed with all the latest technology for drivers, and the same
luxury features for their passengers as their sedan counterparts. Safety is much upgrade as
well, with attach safety features becoming much more effective and widespread. The
addition of components such as blind spot observe, parking sensors, automatic braking, and
lane keep assist are all extremely helpful for consumers as they navigate the world with
larger SUV’s, keeping drivers safer. Where SUV’s consistently fight with poor fuel
economy, there has been huge improvement. The new 2019 Ford discover gets 19mpg city
and 27mpg highway, time the Ford Taurus from the same copy year gets 16mpg city and
24mpg highway, making gas mileage a non-deterrent for SUV’s. This is making the
resolution between an SUV and a sedan even additional difficult. With the traditional
deterrent towards SUV’s addressed, more people have made the resolve to purchase
SUV’s, in favor of more space and a better driving position.

The new car selling figures throw back the strong and changed partiality of consumers. In
2006, Ford sales 174,803 units of the Taurus and 179,229 units of the discover. In 2016,
Ford sales only 44,098 units of the Taurus while sold 248,501 units of the discovers. That’s
a 75% lesser in Taurus sales, and a 38.65% higher in Explorer sales. This trend isn’t just
discern with the Ford Motor Company—sold of the Toyota Corolla from 2006-2016
decreased by 8% while sales for the Rav4 increased by 131.6%. Moreover, this trend is
compatible within the luxury car sector, where trends can seem to stray from the general
car industry. From 2006 to 2016, Mercedes has look at 2.93% decrease in E class sedan
sales and a 63% increase in GLE sales, a comparably priced luxury SUV.

Automakers can’t disregard the trend: over the board, both domestically and abroad,
SUV’s are the “car of the future” and are increasingly necessary for the financial success of
companies. With the tendency ongoing to shift away from sedans due to consumer
preferences and by becoming more economical, the explosive growth of crossover and
SUV sales have car companies higher the count of available crossovers and SUV’s in their
lineups. But, what does that say about the later of the sedan, and car companies in general?
Companies like Ford

19
are looking declines in market shares—Year on Year, Ford says it has lost 0.7% of its
market share from 2017-2018, due to “declines in all regions,” and in the equally time
setting, saw an annual decrease in global sales of 600,000 units. In increase, analyst are
beginning to see the observable of “peak car” appearing, especially in urban areas. “Peak
Car” is analyst forecast that new car sales will no longer be highly annually, but that the
market will contract with a lower volume of new vehicles produced and sold.

Being faced with this stark shift in sales, many industry experts are predicting a decline in
the growth of the auto industry and traditional automobile ownership over the next decade.
As a result, car manufacturers who want to remain competitive are having to “trim the fat”
on their balance sheets—which means eliminating parts of the automakers lineups. Some
companies like Ford have already decided to cut sedan and car sales completely while
increasing their number of new SUV models—meaning we are witnessing the death of the
long successful and popular sedan. For other large companies, including BMW And Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), this could mean the cancellation of their niche brands such
as BMW’s “Mini” or FCA’s “Fiat.” As preferences continue to shift and the car industry
begins to contract, we will likely see more companies following the footsteps of Ford, thus
cutting back or canceling the manufacturing of sedans, while others may eliminate their
more niche brands and badges altogether.

This shift in consumer preferences is leaving us to witness a huge industry restructuring

around crossovers and SUV’s, pushing ourselves further and further from the traditional
popularity and sales domination of sedans. It is completely feasible that within our lifetime
we could see a complete end to the production of sedans. Without anything pushing
consumers away from the practicality of SUV’s and with a continued decline in sedan
sales, it is no stretch of the imagination to think of a day where there are only SUV’s on
new dealership lots. The only real question is how long the once mighty sedan can cling to
life before it quietly fades into the history books.

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MICROCAR / KEI CAR

Micro cars and their Japanese equivalent— kei cars— are the smallest category of
automobile.

Micro cars straddle the boundary between car and motorbike, and are often covered by
separate regulations to normal cars, resulting in relaxed requirements for registration and
licensing. Engine size is often 700 cc (43 cu in) or less, and micro cars have three or four
wheels.

Micro cars are most popular in Europe, where they originated following World War
II. The predecessors to micro cars are voiturettes and cycle cars. Kei cars have been used in
Japan since 1949.

A-SEGMENT / CITY CAR / MINICOMPACT

The smallest category of vehicles that are registered as normal cars is called A- segment in
Europe, or "city car" in Europe and the United States. The United States Environmental
Protection Agency defines this category as "minicompact." However, this term is not
widely used.

The equivalents of A-segment cars have been produced since the early 1920s. However,
the category increased in popularity in the late 1950s when the original Fiat 500 and
BMC Mini were released.

B-SEGMENT / SUPERMINI / SUBCOMPACT

The next larger category small car is called B-segment Europe, supermini in the United
Kingdom and subcompact in the United States.

The size of a subcompact car is defined by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), as having a combined interior and cargo volume of between 85–99 cubic
feet (2,410–2,800 L). Since the EPA's smaller minicompact category is not as commonly
used by the general public, A-segment cars are sometimes called subcompacts in the
United States. In Europe and Great Britain, the B-segment and super mini categories do not
have any formal definitions based on size.

21
Early super mini cars in Great Britain include the 1977 Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette.

C-SEGMENT / SMALL FAMILY / COMPACT

The largest category of small cars is called C-segment or small family car in Europe, and
compact car in the United States.

The size of a compact car is defined by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), as having a combined interior and cargo volume of 100– 109 cu ft (2.8–3.1
m3).

D-SEGMENT / LARGE FAMILY / MID-SIZE

In Europe, the third-largest category for passenger cars is called D- segment or

large family car.

In the United States, the equivalent term is mid-size or intermediate cars. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a mid-size car as having a combined
passenger and cargo volume of 110–119 cu ft

CONSUMER PREFERENCE:
In olden day’s Fiat and Ambassador cars were very popular in India. As many companies
have introduced many models the Indian users are the changers. They will select cars
according to their tastes and the availability of funds. Brand image is broader than brand
personality in real. A well-established brand has a clear brand personality. It may remain
unstated. But it can play a strategic role in brand ware. Closely position brands may also
acquire distinct personalities as a result of exposure to the quality of the product, attraction
in packing, service at the time of sale and after sale, word-of-mouth and advertising
strategies adapted by the company. Brand is thought as being friendly, boring, funny, rude,
caring stylish etc. consumer need to think of brands in human terms. The ability of a brand
personality comes through consistency. Brands are much like people. They have

22
certain physical characteristics, certain skills and abilities and certain associations and
attitudes like an individual, a brand too is a blend of all these. The brand therefore; appeals
to senses, to reason and to emotions. Various factors influence a human beings perceived
personality. Example, family, friends, neighbours, school religious, institutions,
socialization in general similarly, various factors influence formation of a brand
personality, they are either product related or non- product related factors
Consumer preferences are defined as the subjective (individual) tastes, as measured by
utility, of various bundle of goods. They allow the consumer to rank these bundles
depending upon the quantum of utility derived by their consumption. It is to be noted that
preference is independent of income and prices.

One’s capability to purchase is not a determinant factor for one’s likes or dislikes. For
instance, one can have a preference of Mercedes over Nano but have the budget constraint
of purchasing only a Nano. Consumers make decisions by allocation of their scarce income
across all possible bundles of goods in order to derive greatest satisfaction. The preferences
may depend on plethora of factors inter alia, culture, education and individual tastes.

The preferences can be mapped through use of indifference curves. The dawn of
automobile manufacturing started in India when Hindustan Motors in 1942 and premier
auto in 1944 started indigenous production.

The industry has come a long way since then with the fiscal year ending in 2012 with
production of 20,366,432 vehicles of which share of two wheelers, passenger vehicles,
three wheelers and commercial vehicles were 76 percent, 15 percent, 4 percent and 4
percent respectively as shown in Table 1. Passenger Vehicles segment grew at 4.66 percent
during April-March 2012 over same period last year. Passenger Cars grew by 2.19 percent
For the first time in history car sales crossed two million in a financial year.

The world standing for the Indian automobile sector, as per the Confederation of the Indian
industry is the largest three-wheeler market, second largest two-wheeler market, tenth
largest passenger car market, fourth largest tractor market, fifth

23
largest commercial vehicle market and fifth largest bus and truck segment. In India, a total
of Rs. 92, 218.42 crore or 5.02% of the total FDI inflows in India, from April 2000 to
March 2017 has been towards the automobile industry

Some of the previous studies done in various zones in India like West Haryana , New
Delhi , Jaipur and Kerala on car purchasing behavior have reported changing trends as
per changing times as also the effect of multinationals on the Indian automobile market.
Most studies have reported the advent of newer technology as the biggest decision maker
in this aspect. Whereas Television advertising is amongst the biggest influencers other
medium like word of mouth, magazines and ratings also have their weight age.

Some research have studied factors like family needs, fuel efficiency, pricing, safety and
social status as important in automobile buying behavior of the consumer whereas others
have also focused on value for money , affordability and brand personality along with the
impact of manufacturer’s websites in this decision making process . The husbands in
families have been found to be major decision makers while purchase of cars.
Before two decades only few industrialists and rich people had cars, but after the
industrialization, earning capacity among the middle class has also increased. Now a day’s
motor car is not only bought for social status, but it is felt as a necessary one. The present
report on “Customer preference and satisfaction towards SEDAN cars in India” has been
prepared based on the survey conducted to study the awareness level and satisfaction of
customers’ with regard to SEDAN car in India.
Sedan is a family type car with front and rear passenger seating. A sedan car is a passenger
car with two rows of seats and adequate passenger space in the rear compartment for adult
passengers. The vehicle usually has a separate rear trunk for luggage. Sedan car is also
known as saloon car is very famous selection for any family. The compact size, the cost,
and the great handling are three of the most important reason why family or personal
chooses a sedan car. These cars provide exceptional value for any person to buy this car
either for work or for leisure. The selection is also done based on the customer rating.

24
To meet the concomitant testing and certification activities relating to higher safety and
emission norms, testing infrastructure in the country is being overhauled. A substantive
state funding is being planned in upgrading the testing infrastructure with participation of
industry. Environmental pollution and the need to conserve existing supply of fossil fuels
have led to search for alternative fuels. In addition to supporting Greenfield research in this
area, an ambitious phased programme to upgrade carbon fuel quality commensurate with
higher emission norms is also being undertaken. Foreign direct investment norms have
already been considerably relaxed. Unhindered import of automobiles, including new and
second hand vehicles, has also been permitted. Most non-tariff barriers have also been
relaxed or removed. The Government has moderated and lowered taxes and duties on
automobiles, including customs duty. Value Added Tax (VAT) is also proposed to be
introduced across the country from 1 April 2001. The Government has also allowed private
sector participation in the insurance sector. Norms guiding external commercial
borrowings (ECBs) have been liberalized and lending rates within the country have also
been reduced further strengthening the environment of investment. An ambitious
programme to upgrade the quadrilateral of highways in the country, the Government is
laying an eight lane expressway linking all metropolitan and several important capital
towns across the country paving the way for movement of heavier haulage vehicles.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN INDIA:

Car buyers in India, they are a changing. The criteria used by new-vehicle buyers in
their shopping process have become strikingly different among the various regions of the
country, according to the J D Power Asia Pacific 2013 India Escaped Shopper Study (ESS)
The study, based on the responses of 8,687 buyers and 3,271 rejecters of new cars and new
utility vehicles who purchased their vehicle between September 2012 and April 2013,
examines the reasons why new-vehicle shoppers consider but ultimately reject certain
models in favor of another, was fielded from March through July 2013.

25
During the past five years, several shifts have occurred in this class of consumers across
India specific to their shopping behavior, the ownership experience and how the vehicle is
used. As per the findings of the study, a surge of first-time new- vehicle buyers is a
regional phenomenon limited to the Eastern and Western regions. Nearly 70 percent of
buyers in the West and 57 percent of buyers in the East buy a new vehicle for the first time.
In contrast, the proportion of first-time new-vehicle buyers has declined over time in the
North and has remained nearly unchanged in the South.

SHIFTING PREFERENCES:
Although attractive design and styling has increasingly become the most influential
reason for vehicle selection among buyers in North India, 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 South India 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 a dealership and rely on the salesperson for information. They are
less likely to test-drive the vehicle too.
One of the likely drivers behind these changes is the pace of urbanization, which is
resulting in the resurgence of multi-generation families living either under one roof or in
close proximity to their relatives, especially in the North,” said Mohit Arora, executive
director, J D Power Asia Pacific. “While this is resulting in a higher monthly household
income, thereby enabling younger people to afford a vehicle, purchase decisions are also
likely to be influenced by the growing family size.

ROLE OF THE INTERNET:

Internet usage for research during the vehicle-shopping process has increased in the
South 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. Arora says, “Internet

26
penetration has been increasing in India each year as consumers look for presumably
unbiased sources of information at their own convenience. Information on technical
specifications, vehicle features or accessories, vehicle price, vehicle brochures/ pictures,
warranty information, spare parts information are increasingly being sought on the internet
as consumers prepare their first-cut shopping list.

SPEEDY DELIVERY IS KEY

According to Arora, “Vehicle buying in India is triggered both by rational and
emotional needs. It is one of the most visible marks of social progress. The decision to buy
a vehicle is usually finalized over a period of time. Once the decision is made and the
payment and other formalities are completed, new- vehicle owners want to immediately
show off their prized possession. Therefore, availability of product nearby has always been
critical to vehicle selection and purchase. Customers, especially those in cities where there
are multiple dealerships of the same brand, are selecting dealers based on faster delivery
period. The Escaped Shopper Study also highlights that customers are ultimately rejecting
models that they had initially considered owing to longer delivery periods.

According to the study, while the dealer closest to the potential buyer’s home continues to
be the most influential reason for dealer selection, it has been declining during the past five
years. Immediate delivery 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. The study finds that longer delivery time is 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.

27
Car buyers in India getting younger, changing cars more frequently Car sales rise during
the festive season and the trend is expected to gain further momentum this year with good
monsoon and higher liquidity due to 7th pay commission payouts. Today, the car market in
India also constitutes the pre-owned car segment. CarDekho.com, one of India’s leading
auto portals, had acquired Gaadi.com in 2014. Umang Kumar, president, CarDekho.com,
and chief executive officer and co-founder of Gaadi.com spoke to Mint on the new-age
Indian car buyers and other trends.

Car buyers in India are getting younger and buying cars early in their careers. The numbers
of second cars in the households, and second-time owners, have gone up considerably in
the last 5 years. While 90% of car buyers in India still continue to be male, we currently
see more women researching and deciding the car choice.

We expect this segment to only grow. Also, people are more open to buying used cars,
which provide significant value for money and the opportunity for buying their
inspirational car.

Lately, with the rise of taxi aggregators like Uber and Ola, a new segment of ‘investor’
owners has also come up, who buy multiple cars and put them on these platforms as
income-generating assets.

IN INDIA, CARS ALSO HAVE AN ASPIRATION VALUE, HOW

DOES THIS REFLECT IN THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR:

Car purchase is one of the most significant purchases for people and the first purchase has
a high emotional attachment. What we have seen is that Indian car buyers today know what
they want, are brand conscious, demand features and don’t mind exceeding their budget if
it adds to their social image. The growth in sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment and
launch of feature led cars in entry segment are testament to this evolution. On the used car
side, we clearly see a majority of customers trading up to a used sedan, compared to new
hatchback in the segment.

28
Consumer’s choices have definitely evolved. While entry segment pricing has not
increased substantially, the choices and features in today’s cars are more comprehensive
than earlier.

Consumers today spend considerable time researching online about their car purchases on
our platforms, are very knowledgeable and are willing to look beyond traditional brand
choices.

FINANCING ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN THIS CHANGE:

Financing clearly brings affordability to the car purchase and decisions today are driven by
the equated monthly installments (EMIs) people can afford.

Buying cars on full down payment is no longer popular, with over 70% of new car
purchases being through loans. Banks have also been aggressive with competitive interest
rates, zero pre-payment charges and easier process to drive auto purchases.

In fact, today you can walk-in to a new car showroom and walk-out with a car on loan in
couple of hours.

FINANCING OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR BUYERS OF A PRE-

OWNED CAR:

On used cars, finance penetration remains low, closer to 10-15% due to multiple issues
related to car quality, consumers having limited credit history and lastly a broken process
of registration transfer.

We have recently launched our digital loans platform to help our partner dealers and
consumers overcome these challenges and make used-car loans as easy as new-car loans.

The buying behavior of customer can be studied by knowing their perception about the
cars in the market. Basically it is the need to find out what customer expects and what is
being offered to them. When a customer is satisfied with the product or service, he
recommends that product and service to another prospective

29
customer. The Indian industry is currently experiencing unprecedented boom in the
demand for all types of vehicle.

Consumer behavior refers to way in which consumers behave while making any purchase
decision. Consumer behavior plays a very important role in the finding the results of any
survey. Whenever we enter into a market consumers are considered the most important for
any business because no business can run without consumers. So it is very important to
know the consumer behavior so that we can effectively utilize our resources in such a way
that our consumer is satisfied. It is basically refers to the buying behavior of consumer or
any other business organization. It also includes that features and factors that they
considers while making a buying decision.

It includes no. of companies and organizations which are involved in the design,
development, manufacturing, and marketing and selling of automobiles. This industry also
contributes to the greater extent to the total revenue of a country. With the increasing
demand due to rising income of people and increases young population base with increase
in their purchasing power and the existence of large number of skilled manpower, this
industry is growing at a fast rate. The main reason for the development of this industry is
the de-licensing of this sector in 1991 and allowing the FDI limit up to 100% in this sector.
This helps the global manufacturers to invest in India and set up their businesses to
increase the production level of this sector from 2 million in 1991 to 9.7 million in 2006.
When government take initiative in 1991 to remove the licensing, less restrictions on
import and decrease tariff rates the Indian automobile industry was grown and flourished at
a high rate that was very favorable for the balance of payment

• Legal and banking infrastructure

• Increased affordability of consumers, increasing demand in the car segment and the
growing income of the Indian population.

• India has the third largest investor base in the world.

30
• The Government initiatives in the adoption of innovative technology and modernization
fund is concentrating and trying to establishing India as an auto- manufacturing hub in the
world.

• Availability of inexpensive skilled workers in India. Labor is very cheap in India as

compared to other countries.

• Industry is trying to increasing sales by knocking on doors of women, youth, rural and
luxury segments.

• Market segmentation and product innovation.

1.3 NEED FOR THE STUDY:

Most of the consumers in the study area prefer about the sedan cars. The major factors
influencing the purchase decisions towards sedan cars are Design of the car and word of
mouth communication, Technology and durability, Feature and money value, Brand and
services. With the increase market study there is a cut through competition with other type
of cars in the industry some of the other major competitors in this area like Hatchback,
Crossover, and SUV & MUV. The need for the customer satisfaction is necessary for all
business large or small. The satisfaction of the customer is on all important task. Hence
there is a need for the study.
1.4 SIGNIFICANTS OF THE STUDY:
Customer fulfillment is defined as the number of customers, or percentage of total
consumers. Whose reported experience with a firm, its services exceeds specified
satisfaction goals. The study entitled customer satisfaction toward “Sedan cars” mainly
focus on the satisfaction of customer preferences for the analysis of satisfaction from the
153 respondents are collected and it will be normal percentage to know the various
fulfillment in the features of cars. The sample design taken for the study is appropriate
sampling for the study is appropriate sampling for gather the data primary and secondary
methods are used.
Customer fulfillment is the key element in knowing the achievement of any retail store or
business therefore it is very important to measure it and to find the factors that affect the
consumer satisfaction. Consumers are most suitable to appreciate

31
the products and services they buy, provided if they are made to feel special. This happen
when they perceive that the goods and services that they buy have been specially produced
for them or for people like them.
It is true reality that if you are satisfied you approve to others. Word of the mouth and
customer preferences play a very important role in determining market perception about an
automobile. It is the market perception that determines the sedan cars very important the
willingness of existing users of a product to recommend it to others. The same is a plenty
of interest to consumers customers as well for it helps them make the purchase decision.

Customer fulfillment index: some of the most promote thinking in the business world
recognizes that customer relationships are best treated as assets, and the methodical
analysis of these relationships can supply a road map for better them “If you cannot
measures if you cannot improve it”- Lord William Thomson Kelvin (1824-1907)
 Major credit of customer fulfillment can be summarized as:
 Type of car consumer would prefer.
 Type of brand prefer in sedan car.
 Price
 Fuel preference
 Type of rim to prefer
 Service maintenance of car
 Purpose of buying sedan.
 Payment terms
 Offers

1.5 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

• To understand the brand preference towards sedan car in Chennai region.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE
• To identify the factors that influence consumers to shop for a specific brands.

32
• To know the consumers brand fidelity towards sedan cars in Chennai region.
• To review about the satisfaction level of consumers using SEDAN cars in
Chennai region.

1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

 The analysis of the present study has been carried out based on the information
has collected from the questionnaire about the sedan cars who are residing at Chennai.
 The study is about consumer preferences survey; caution may have to be
exercised while extending the result to other areas.
 Due to time constrict only 153 numbers of respondents were considered.
 The result entirely depends on the information specified by the respondents which
may be biased.

33
 CHAPTER-2

2.1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Dr.K.T.Kalaiselvi and D.Nidhyananth(2018) have notice that Indian car industry has
technologically new the and is influenced by the various factors like extreme competition,
consumer preferences, got intervention and the global level strategies of various renowned
automobile players. It has been studied that cars which are being sold in India are
comparatively technologically sound like those cars which are manufactured outside the
country. The brand preference is largely influenced by a number of factors like
advertisement, price, quality, availability, and performance after sale service, true value
etc. there are many other reasons which have been categorized to be the reasons of the
brand preference like the safety, comfort, luxuries, the origin of the country, brand name
reputation of the dealers. More over the influence of the peer groups is necessary in
decision making process especially when to choose the car size that is whether big or
small.

Dr Vishal S.Rana and Dr M.A.Lokhande (2015) have explained the view and
customer satisfaction about the numerous car brands in the Indian car market. This paper
has explained the overall profile of the Indian car industry. It has been defined that
customer satisfactions the key point to make the business successful in the market. This is
mentioned in the study that the level of satisfaction given to the customers increases the
reputation of the automobile players which in turn provide more flexibility to the
customers by offering the maximum choice to select the reputated brand.

Kasuma (2015) elaborates on the consumer behavior pattern on buying decision of small
cars. A framework has been evolve to study the action patterns which influence the
consumer purchase of small cars. The need to acquire a car is followed by the details
gathering from peers and the internet. Factors such as re- sale value for money, market
goodwill and easy availability constitute market influence. Car influencing agencies also
have a role to play in this decision making process. External effect factors include family,
parents, workmate and the car being a status symbol. Manufacturer, Brand, mileage,
performance, price, Interior

34
& Exterior design and safety & comfort features consist of the product influence, Internet
these days is playing an important role influencing the pre-purchase decision of cars.
Deloitte (2014) tell that the first time car buyer looks to buy a car for his family
primarily. The first time buyer has in fact no comparable backing, it is natural that this
buying decision is not influenced by the improvement of fuel efficiency factor. The study
details that the first time buyers use reliability, the dealer services and resale value as filters
while making brand choices. However, it was notice that female respondents adhere less
importance to reliability and dealer ability as compared to the male respondents.
D.Lakshmanan.K.Gayathri (2014) have explain that brand likeness is very much
important than brand nature in real. A well established brand has smart personality, brands
are like that of people having their skills and abilities and associations which reflect the
deal of the customer with the car. Brands preferred are the powerful symbols which not
only reflect the image of the advertising agency but the reality of the manufacturer, When
brand name, technical features and price level are invariant then the customers try to prefer
the local brand over the foreign brands. In case the local brands do not prove their loyalty
to the consumers then the foreign brands are given preference. There are various attributes
which catch the attention of the customers on order to prefer the foreign brands over the
local brands these are quality of the product, customer service, prestige and durability etc.

Dr. H. S. Adithya (Jan 2013): Automobile Industry is one of the quick growing part in
our country. Cars were once think about as a luxury and at present it has become a
essential. They have become a part and parcel of today’s life and most of the car
manufacturers target the middleclass segment to a great extent. The introduction of small
cars is a definitive example for this. Today’s customer has plenty of options available to
him. We are in a customers market where the marketers do not only satisfy a need but try
to achieve consumer delight. The decision to buy a car is not a one man resolution. The
purchase is usually affect by many including their own perceptions and behaviour. The
author has plainly defined in this paper approach of consumer towards car owner and their
behavior

35
of purchasing decision. Every customer decision different so they survey then give the
opinion.

Dr Poornima Tapas and Ms.RitaDangre (2013) have detailed in their research paper
that customer behaviour has emerged as one of the emergency field for the research
thinkers in the field of economics. During the past researchers have taken into
consideration various descriptions to monitor the customer base and the perception of their
mind. Various subjects like the psychology, sociology and literature have been studied to
diagnose the internal feelings of the customers. It has been analyzed how to approach the
customers’ ideology while marketing in the car mobile industry as the customer
satisfaction is gaining momentum nowadays. It is evident from the fat that marketing of the
goods and services depends upon how customers react against the features like the price,
the mileage
, the compactness , the manufacturing base whether local or foreign which defines the
future of the automobile sale in the market. The companies are trying to compete in the
field of automobiles to cope up with modern automobile race in the globe.

Liu Dongyan (2012) identified safety as the most important characteristics for them and
they take value for money on the second characteristic and driving pleasure is the third
factors they keep in mind while purchasing the car. Safety and value for money is the most
important factors for them to purchase the car. Chinese consumers take after-sale service
and exterior design as the forth most important factors when making the purchase decision.
Consumers get information from different channels, car sales staff, Internet, family/friend,
word of mouth, car shows etc.

Nikhil Monga, Bhuvender Chaudhary, Saurabh Tripathi (2012) this investigation

attempts to answer some of the questions concering brand personality of selected cars in
India by conducting the market research. This personality depict will help in knowing what
a customer (or a potential customer) thinks about a given brand of car and what are the
possible factors guiding a possible purchase. likewise, the idea of measuring the customer
fulfilment will serve the same purpose of determining the customer Perception.
Thus, by

36
compute the readiness of exciting users of a car to recommend it to others will help the car
manufacturers to check out the entire customer Buying Behavior. The study appear that
brand approach is something which starts building up before a car is purchased and goes on
with its use and is reflected in the recommendations. The customer makes to his
familiarity for the same car. Also it is perceive that the customer strength not be using the
car still he holds the perceptions about it. Brand personality of a car is impose by the
sellers in the perspective of the customers and customers react to it by forming their
perception about the car and this throw back in the overall brand image of the car. So brand
likeness and brand personality companion each other and the brand perception aids the
building of brand images. As per the study discovery, trader plays a very important role in
building up the brand perceptions of the cars.

Ash tosh Nigam & Rajiv kaushik (2012) identified that brand equity factors help to
influence the purchase decisions of customers. The study concluded that the brand manager
should focus on the customer loyalty, trustworthiness, brand distinction, innovative feature
to mange brand equity. It is not only the brand image which influences customer but dealer
images plays an important role in influencing the purchaser.
Joseph and Kamble (2011) judge the behavioural design shown by coach customers in
of Karnataka state. The study is found on the data collected from 525 passenger car owners
contain of professionals, employees of public and private sector, businessmen and
agriculturist in Karnataka district. They found that one among the foremost important
factors that influence purchase of passenger cars in India is that the availability of auto
finance or credit line.
Balakrishnan Menon and Dr Jagathy Raj V.P(2011) have examined that
Automobile market has got saturated with the plenty of the car models manufactured by
the local and foreign car manufacturers. Companies are applying new methods to motivate
the people who use the two wheelers to convert them to buy the new and advanced brands
of the cars by way of providing the latest technology featured cars. The car mobile industry
has become consumer centric which provides a variety of car brands to the customers.
Customer satisfaction is the fundamental causes to enhance the growth of the automobile
sector those car owners who are satisfied with the cars which they purchase from the
respective

37
dealers they then publicize the issue in the general public so that more and more customers
can be attracted towards the car dealers. The perception of the car customers is very much
important for the dealers to understand the mindset of the car customers this is the key
initiative towards progress in the car mobile industry.

Amit Sharma (2010) pointed out that when a buyer thinks of purchasing the new car, the
average time take in researching for the product is average 9.8 days and the people who
have used the car structure their mind in 7.7 days on a mean . More than half the car buyers
in these cities use the web to read reviews compare specifications and costs of various
models and to locate dealerships. More than half the buyers look at video advertisements,
sponsored links & animated advertisements of cars.

Brown et al (2010) found that the country of origin plays a big role within the
consumers buying behaviour. The name, lower cost and distributor’s reputation completely
have a big impact on the sale of passengers’ car.

As per Kotwal (2009), bully off buyers now like better to have cars with the space,
comfort and luxury of a mid size saloon or sedan. With the growing wealth and
technological development, there develops a particular majority in taste, as evidenced by
the growing popularity of the Indian Sedan market.
Clement Sudhakar and Venkatapathy (2009) observed that the importance of
coevals within the purchase behavior of car concerning Coimbatore District. It also
revealed the impact of friends which is greater for the acquisition of small sized and
midsized cars.
Ramita Verma, Shubhkamana Rathore(2008) studied the luxury car segment of
India. Researchers and learning have disclose that the luxury car market is growing at a
steady speed of 25% per annum with more and more numbers of luxury cars entering
Indian car market. Luxury cars are preferred by (HNI) High net Individuals. HNI wants to
differentiate themselves from coward for various reasons. Change in point of view of the
customer accounts for the sudden acceleration in the Luxury car market in India, as the
emphasis has been shifted from price consideration and affordability to design, quality and
pleasure. Study also hurls light on market motorist of luxury cars.

38
Mandeep Kaur and Sandhu (2006) establish the important features a customer
appraises while buy a new car. The respondents perceive that safety and luxury are the
foremost important features of the coach followed by luxuriousness.

Kotler and Armstrong (2006) stated that the marketers identify the factors which are
important to identify potential buyers and them produce products as per the needs of
customers. Each of these factors has a special dimension. For instance, social factors play a
very important in the decision of the buyer’s purchase.

K.vidyavathi (2005) the study appear throws light on various aspects that the
manufactures should concentrate on to attract the prospective buyers. The demand for the
little Automobile part is increasing because of the growing number of nuclear families as
well as parking problems. Hence the producer should find out the needs wants tastes and
preferences of consumers in order to design the products. Also fuel wealth and driving
sympathy are the most important parameters followed by availability of spares and their
price.

Sagar, Ambuj and Chandra (2004) talk about in their paper about how the Indian car
industry has advanced technologically driven by a confluence of things like intense
competition, demanding consumer preferences, government policies and therefore the
global strategies of varied players. They observed that cars manufactured in India are
supported designs, incorporating advanced technologies, that are often comparable those
available globally and Indian car exports also are growing..

Ravichandran.K and Narayanarajan.S (2004) considered factors determining the

brand taste of durables . They concluded that the study that brand preference of durables is
essentially influenced by variety of things like advertisement, price, quality, performance,
availability of spares, and after-sales service. Moreover, these factors play an important
role within the decision-making process and within the brand preference.

39
White (2004) discussed the factors that affect car-buyers' choices and comments that
people expect to haggle with dealers over price and to receive substantial rebates or
incentives also as low-interest payment plans. He acknowledged that with a rise in multi-
car households, car dealers and advertisers needed to focus on the proper audience, taking
under consideration the pester power of youngsters and the importance of life stage.
Despite the very fact that ladies are the first buyers of most new cars, he admits that the
motor trade has traditionally been contemptuous of women's role within the car-buying
process.

Prasana Mohan Raj (2002) studied the part affect customers brand preferences of the
economy segment SUV and MUV. Data collection was made through district interaction
and customer intercept survey using questionnaire. Descriptive examination was used to
change data into understand format and factor analysis was used for identification of
factors influencing customer preference. In light of study discovery, the liking of a given
brand can be explained in terms in six factors namely product reliability, monetary
factor, trendy appeal, frequency of non price advertising provide, trustworthiness and
customer feeling or association towards brand. There is need for marketers to remove
these element into consideration when crafting product innovations in the SUV segment of
Automobile market.

40
 CHAPTER-3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
DESCRIPTIVE METHOD
Research in common refers to an enquiry for knowledge. Research
methodology may be thanks to systematically solve the research problem. it's
going to be understood as science of studying how research is completed
scientifically.
3.1 Sample Design:
The sample design which is used in the study is convenience sampling. Respondents from
Chennai were selected on the basis of convenience.
3.2 Sampling Technique:
 Simple random sampling

3.3 Sources of data:

The data is collected through in two ways.
 Primary data: The primary data was collected freshly and thus it was original in
character. It has been collected through questionnaire. The questionnaire was given
to the respondents when they visited respective show rooms and consumers.
 Secondary data: Secondary data are data which have already been collected by
someone. Its main sources are Journals, Newspaper, magazines, and Internet etc.

3.4Structure of Questionnaire: The questionnaire in written format.

3.5 Sample Size:
Sample size taken for the study is 153 respondents.
3.6 Period of Study:
This study of analysis duration 2021 to March 2021
3.7 Area of analysis:
The study was conducted in Chennai.
Tools used for analysis:
 Percentage analysis
 Chi square test

41
 CHAPTER-4
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table 4.1.1 GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS:

PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSES PERCENTAGE
male 91 59.5
female 62 40.5
TOTAL 153 100

SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart Title

41%
male
female
60%

Chart 4.1.1 Gender of the respondents

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for male is 59.5% and
female respondent is 40.5%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Male” 59.5%.

42
Table 4.1.2 Age of the respondents:
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
18-25 Years 14 24.2
26-35Years 79 51.6
36-45 Years 22 14.4
46 Years above 38 10
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Age

10%
24%
14% 18-25 years
26-35 years
36-45 years
46 years

52%

Chart 4.1.2 Age of the respondents

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents are age 18- 25 is
24.2% and 26-35 is 51.6%, 36-45 is14.4% and 46years above is10%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “26-35years” 51.6%.

43
Table 4.1.3: Occupation of respondents:
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSES PERCENTAGE
Busines people 32 21
Salaried 105 68
Professionals 16 11
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.3 occupation of respondents

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for self employed is
19%, and Business people is15%, and salaried is 60.1%, and professionals is 5.9%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Salaried” 68%.

44
Table 4.1.4: Yearly Income of respondents:
PARTICULARS NO RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
2.5-5 lakhs 35 23.6
6-10 lakhs 83 56.5
11-20 lakhs 24 16.2
20 lakhs above 11 2.7
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.4 Yearly Income respondents.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents is 2.5-5 lakhs is
23.6% , 6-10 lakhs is 56.5%, and 11-20 lakhs is 16.2%, and 20 lakhs
above is 2.7%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “6-10 lakhs” 56.5%.

45
Table 4.1.5: Getting information regarding purchasing a car.
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Friends/Relatives/colleagues 62 40.5
TV/Radio/Newspapers/Magazines 24 15.7
Car exhibition 16 10.5
Recommended by sales person 16 10.5
Internet 35 22.8
Total 125 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.5 Getting Information regarding purchasing of a car.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of Friends/Relatives/colleagues is
40.5% respondents and
TV/Radio/Newspaper/Magazines is 15.7% and Car exhibition is 10.5% , Recommended by
sales person10.5%, Internet 22.8% .
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Friends/Relatives/Colleague 40.5%.

46
Table 4.1.6: Type of car would you prefer
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Sedan 93 60.8
Hatchback 25 16.3
Crossover 16 10.5
SUV 17 11.1
(MUV) 2 1.3
Total 125 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.6 Type of car chosen respondents.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Sedan cars is
60.8%, Hatchback 16.3%, and Crossover is 10.5% and SUV11.1%, (MUV) 1.3%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Sedan” 60.8%.

47
Table 4.1.7: Type of brand chosen respondents
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Hyundai 15 9.8
Honda 22 14.4
TATA 11 7.2
Toyota 22 14.4
Mahindra 25 16.3
BMW 6 3.9
Audi 8 5.2
SKODA 3 2
KIA 4 2.6
NISSAN 7 4.6
FORD 20 13.1
DATSUN 3 2
RENAULT 3 2
Maruti suzuki 3 2
Volkswagen 1 1
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.7 Type of Brand chosen respondents

48
INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Hyundai 9.8% ,
Honda14.4%,and TATA 7.2%, and Toyota14.4%, Mahindra 16.3%, BMW 3.9%, Audi
5.2%, SKODA 2%, KIA 2.6%, NISSAN 4.6%, Ford 13.1%, Datsun 2%,
Renault 4.6%.

Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Mahindra” 16.3%.

49
Table 4.1.8: Budget to buy car respondents
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Less than 5 lakhs 6 3.9
Between 6-10 lakhs 115 75.2
Between 11-15 lakhs 19 12.4
16 lakhs and above 13 7.8
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.8 Budget to buy a car chosen respondents.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents is Less than 5
lakhs3.9%, Between 6-10 lakhs 75.2%, Between 11-15 lakhs 12.4%, 16 lakhs
and above 7.8%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is Between “6-10 lakhs” 75.2%.

50
Table 4.1.9: Fuel preference of respondents
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Petrol 37 24.2
Diesel 113 73.9
CNG 3 2
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.9 Fuel preference of respondents.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Petrol is 24.2% &
Diesel 73.9%, CNG 2%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Diesel” 73.9%.

51
Table 4.1.10: Fuel consumption of car respondents
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Extremely satisfied 18 11.8
satisfied 107 69.9
Neutral 26 17
Dissatisfied 2 1.3
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.10 Fuel Consumption of cars respondents.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for extremely satisfied
is 11.8%, Satisfied 69.9%, Neutral 17%, Dissatisfied 1.3%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “satisfied” 69.9%.

52
Table 4.1.11Type of rim do you prefer for buying a car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Steel rim 20 13.1
Alloy rim 56 36.6
Chrome rim 66 43.1
Spinners rim 11 7.2
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.11 Type of rim for buying a car.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Steel rim is
13.1%, Alloy rim 36.6%, chrome rim 43.1%, spinners rim 7.2%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Chrome rim” 43.1%.

53
Table 4.1.12 Motive to buy a car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Speed 14 19.2
Handling 47 30.7
Braking 14 9.2
Comfort 60 39.2
Sports feel 8 5.2
Luxury/Status 10 6.5
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.12 Motive to Buy a car.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for speed
is 19.2%, Handling 30.7%, Braking 9.2%, Comfort 39.2%,
and sports feel 5.2%, Luxury/status 6.5%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Comfort” 39.2%.

54
Table 4.1.13 Gearbox do you prefer
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Automatic 53 34.6
Manual 100 65.4
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.13 Gearbox do you prefer.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for
Automatic is 34.6%, manual 65.4%.
Inference:
Majority of respondents is Manual 65.4%.

55
Table 4.1.14 Consumer preference sun roof on top
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Yes 78 51
No 75 49
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.14 Consumer prefer sun roof on top

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Yes is 51%,
No is 49%.
Inference:
Majority of respondents is Yes 51%.

56
Table 4.1.15 Spend for service or maintenance of the car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
10000-19999 89 58.2
20000-29999 63 41.2
30000 or above 1 0.7
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.15 Spend for service or maintenance of the car.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for 10000- 19999 is
58.2%, 20000-29999 is 41.2%, 30000 or above 0.7%.

Inference:

Most of the respondents is “10000-19999” 58.2%.

57
Table 4.1.16 Kind of mileage would you prefer
PARTICULARS NO RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
10-15 kmpl 26 17
16-20 kmpl 86 56.2
20-30 kmpl 35 22.9
30 kmpl or above 6 3.9
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.16 What kind of mileage would you prefer.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents is 10-15 kmpl is
17%, 16-20 kmpl 56.2%, 20-30 kmpl is 22.9%, 30 kmpl or above is 3.9%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “16-20” kmpl 56.2%.

58
Table 4.1.17 Purpose of buying the sedan car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Travelling to office 43 28.1
everyday
Fun weekend trip 26 17
General city commute 64 41.8
Long distance driving 20 13.1
Rental car 0 0
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.16 What is the purpose of buying the sedan car

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number respondents of Travelling to office
everyday is 28.1%, Fun weekend trip is 17%, General city commute is 41.8%, Long
Distance driving is 13.1%, Rental car is 0%.

Inference:
Most of the respondents is “General city commute”41.8%.

59
Table 4.1.18 which country car do you prefer
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSES PERCENTAGE
India 116 75.8
US 7 4.6
UK 4 2.6
France 10 6.5
Korea 2 1.3
Germany 8 5.2
Japan 2 1.3
Italy 1 0.2
No preference 3 2
TOTAL 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.18 which country do you prefer

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents India is
75.8%, US 4.6%, UK 2.6%, France 6.5%, Korea 1.3%, Germany 5.2%, Japan
1.3%, Italy 0.2%, No preference 2%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents for “India” is 75.8%.

60
Table 4.1.19 Are you prefer with the interest rates on car loans
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
yes 58 37.9
no 95 62.1
TOTAL 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.19 Are you prefer with the interest rates on a car loans.

NTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for “Yes” is 37.9%,
“No” 62.1%.

Inference:
Most of the respondents for “No” is 62.1%.

61
Table 4.1.20 Type of payment terms do you prefer
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Paying cash 89 58.2
Hire purchase 43 28.1
Contract hire 15 9.8
Lease Purchase 6 3.9
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.20 Type of payment terms do you prefer consumers.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for paying cash is
58.2%, Hire purchase 28.1%, and contract hire 9.8%, Lease purchase 3.9%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “paying cash” 58.9%.

62
Table 4.1.21 Type of promotion offers were you entitled to when
purchasing your sedan car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Price discount 41 26.8
Warranty 61 39.9
Flexible loan scheme 18 11.8
Free option upgrade 18 11.8
Free servicing 15 9.8
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.21 Type of promotion offers were you entitled to when purchasing your sedan
car

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Price discount
is 26.8%, warranty 39.9%, flexible loan scheme 11.8%, free option upgrade 111.8%,
Free servicing 9.8%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Warranty” 39.9%.

63
Table 4.1.22 Sedan cars are capable to attract today generation
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Yes 106 69.3
No 47 30.7
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.22 That the sedan cars are capable to attract today generation.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of Yes 69.3%, No 30.7%.

Inference:
Most of the respondents is “yes” 69.3%.

64
Table 4.1.23 How far you satisfy with sedan car
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Highly satisfied 13 8.5
Satisfied 98 64.0
Neutral 37 24.2
Dissatisfied 5 3.3
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.23 How far you satisfy with sedan car.

INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Highly satisfied
is 8.5%, Satisfied 64.1%, Neutral 17.6%, Dissatisfied 10%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “Satisfied” 64.1%.

65
Table 4.1.24 Would you recommend sedan cars to your friends,
colleagues or relative (Promotion)
PARTICULARS NO OF RESPONSE PERCENTAGE
Very likely 36 23.5
Yes 99 64.7
No 18 11.8
Total 153 100
SOURCE: Primary Data

Chart 4.1.24 would you recommend sedan cars to your friends, colleagues, or relatives.
INTERPRETATION:
From the above table it is interpreted that the number of respondents for Very likely is
23.5%, Yes 64.7%, No 11.8%.
Inference:
Most of the respondents is “yes” 64.7%.

66
CHI-SQUARE

A chi-squared test, also referred to as test, is any statistical hypothesis test in which
the sampling distribution of the test statistic is a chi-squared distribution when the null
hypothesis is true, or any in which this is asymptotically true, meaning that the sampling
distribution (if the null hypothesis is true) can be made
to approximate a chi-squared distribution as closely as desired by making the sample size
large enough.

CHI-SQURE ANALYSIS
TABLE – 4.25
HYPOTHESIS
Null hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the budget to buy a car in the consumer preference of sedan car.
Alternative hypothesis (H1): There is a significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the budget to buy a car in the consumer preference of sedan car.

Case Processing Summary

Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percen t N Percen t N Percen t

age of person * budget 153 100.0 0 .0% 153 100.0

to buy a car % %

67
 age of person * budget to buy a car Crosstabulation

Count budget to buy a car Total

Less than 5 Between 6- Between 16lakhs
lakhs 10 lakhs 11-15lakhs and above
age of 18-25 years 5 39 4 3 51
person 26-35 years 1 65 10 3 79
36-45 years 0 11 5 6 22
46 years above 0 0 0 1 1

Total 6 115 19 13 153

Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp.
Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 34.287 9 .000
a

Likelihood Ratio 25.673 9 .002

Linear-by-Linear 16.430 1 .000
Association
N of Valid Cases 153
a. 10 cells (62.5%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .04.

INTERPRETATION
According to the Chi-square table the X² = 34.287, degree of freedom is 9 and 'p'
value is 0.000. Here, the 'p' value is less to 0.05 (0.050 > 0.000). So the H0 is accepted and
the H1 is rejected. Hence there is a no significant difference between age of the
respondents and budget to buy a car.

68
 CHI-SQURE ANALYSIS
TABLE – 4.26

HYPOTHESIS
Null hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the budget to spend service maintenance of car.
Alternative hypothesis (H1):There is a significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the budget to spend service maintenance of car.

Case Processing Summary

Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percen t N Percen t N Percen t

age of person * 153 100.0 0 .0% 153 100.0

maintenance of car % %

age of person * maintenance of car Crosstabulation

Count maintenance of car Total

10000- 20000- 30000 or
19999 29999 above
age of 18-25 years 34 17 0 51
person 26-35 years 43 35 1 79
36-45 years 12 10 0 22
46 years 0 1 0 1
above
Total 89 63 1 153

69
 Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp.
Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 4.279a 6 .639
Likelihood Ratio 5.026 6 .541
Linear-by-Linear 2.237 1 .135
Association
N of Valid Cases 153
a. 6 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .01.

INTERPRETATION
According to the Chi-square table the X² = 4.279, degree of freedom is 6 and 'p'
value is 0.639. Here, the 'p' value is less to 0.05 (0.639 > 0.005). So the H0 is rejected and
the H1 is accepted. Hence there is a no significant difference between age of the
respondents and service maintenance of car.

CHI-SQURE ANALYSIS
Table-4.27
HYPOTHESIS
Null hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the kind of mileage of respondents.
Alternative hypothesis (H1): There is a significant difference between the age of the
respondents and the kind of mileage of respondents.

Case Processing Summary

Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percen t N Percen t N Percen t

age of person * 153 100.0 0 .0% 153 100.0

mileage of car % %

70
 age of person * mileage of car Cross tabulation

Count mileage of car Total

10-15 16-20 21-30 30 kmpl or
kmpl kmpl kmpl above
age of 18-25 years 9 26 11 5 51
person 26-35 years 14 48 16 1 79
36-45 years 3 12 7 0 22
46 years 0 0 1 0 1
above
Total 26 86 35 6 153

Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp.
Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 11.933 9 .217
a

Likelihood Ratio 11.488 9 .244

Linear-by-Linear .135 1 .713
Association
N of Valid Cases 153
a. 8 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .04.

INTERPRETATION
According to the Chi-square table the X² = 11.933, degree of freedom is 9 and 'p'
value is 0.217. Here, the 'p' value is less to 0.05 (0.217 > 0.005). So the H0 is accepted and
the H1 is rejected. Hence there is a no significant difference between age of the
respondents and service maintenance of car.

ANOVA

A statistical analysis tool that separates the total variability found within a data set into two
components: random and systematic factors. The random factors do not have any statistical
influence on the given data set, while the systematic factors do. The ANOVA test is used
to determine the impact independent variables have on the dependent variable in a

71
regression analysis. It is also the initial step in

72
identifying factors that are influencing a given data set. After the ANOVA test is
performed, the analyst is able to perform further analysis on the systematic factors that are
statistically contributing to the data set's variability. ANOVA test results can then be used
in an F-

ANOVA ANALYSIS
TABLE-4.28
Null hypothesis (H0):There is no significant difference between the occupation of the
respondents and the satisfy with fuel consumption of car.
Alternative hypothesis (H1):The respondents rating about the satisfy with fuel
consumption of car and various occupation of respondents.

TABLE SHOWING ONE WAY ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE

OCCUPATIOON OF RESPONDENTS AND THE VARIOUS
FACTORS RELATED TO THE FUEL CONSUMPTION OF
CAR

Descriptives

fuel N Mean Std. Std. 95% Confidence Mini Maxi

consumptio n Deviation Error Interval for Mean m mum
um
Lower Upper
Bound Bound
self 29 1.965 .68048 .1263 1.7067 2.2244 1.00 4.00
employed 5 6
Business 23 2.173 .71682 .1494 1.8639 2.4839 1.00 4.00
people 9 7
salaried 92 2.097 .51483 .0536 1.9912 2.2044 1.00 3.00
8 7
Professiona 9 2.000 .50000 .1666 1.6157 2.3843 1.00 3.00
ls 0 7
Total 153 2.078 .57958 .0468 1.9859 2.1710 1.00 4.00
4 6

73
ANOVA

fuel Sum of df Mean F Sig.

consumption Squares Square
Between .669 3 .223 .660 .578
Groups
Within 50.389 149 .338
Groups
Total 51.059 152

fuel consumption
Tukey B
occupation of N Subset for
person alpha = 0.05

1
self employed 29 1.9655

Professionals 9 2.0000
salaried 92 2.0978
Business people 23 2.1739

Means for groups in homogeneous

subsets are displayed.

INTERPRETATION
From the above ANOVA analysis it is inferred that there is a significant difference
between the occupation of respondents and the satisfy with the fuel consumption of car
and the P value of the factor are greater than the significant value of 0.05 except the satisfy
of the sedan users and P value 0.578 than the significant value, and so it is said that the
respondents rating about the satisfied with fuel consumption of car.

74
 ANOVA ANALYSIS
TABLE-4.29
Null hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the occupation of the
respondents and the satisfy with the sedan car of respondents.
Alternative hypothesis (H1):The respondents rating about the satisfy about the sedan
car will differ across various occupation of respondents.

Descriptives

satisfy N Mean Std. Std. 95% Confidence Minim Maxim

with sedan Deviation Error Interval for Mean um um
car
Lower Upper
Bound Bound
2.5-5 35 2.285 .71007 .1200 2.0418 2.5296 1.00 4.00
lakhs 7 2
6-10 lakhs 83 2.204 .59998 .0658 2.0738 2.3358 1.00 4.00
8 6
11-20 24 2.166 .56466 .1152 1.9282 2.4051 1.00 4.00
lakhs 7 6
20 lakhs 11 2.272 .90453 .2727 1.6651 2.8804 1.00 4.00
above 7 3
Total 153 2.222 .64095 .0518 2.1198 2.3246 1.00 4.00
2 2

ANOVA

satisfy with Sum of df Mean F Sig.

sedan car Squares Square
Between .268 3 .089 .214 .886
Groups
Within 62.176 149 .417
Groups
Total 62.444 152

75
Homogeneous Subsets

satisfy with sedan car

Tukey B
yearly N Subset for
income alpha =
0.05
1
11-20 lakhs 24 2.1667
6-10 lakhs 83 2.2048
20 lakhs 11 2.2727
above
2.5-5 lakhs 35 2.2857
Means for groups in homogeneous
subsets are displayed.

INTERPRETATION
From the above ANOVA analysis it is inferred that there is a significant difference
between the occupation of respondents and the satisfy about the customer using sedan cars
of and how far they satisfy about the sedan as the P value of the factor are greater than the
significant value of 0.05 except the satisfy of the sedan users and P value 0.886 than the
significant value, and so it is said that the respondents rating about the satisfied about the
customer using sedan cars.

76
 CHAPTER-5
5.1 FINDINGS
SIMPLE PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS

 59.5% of the respondents are male.

 51.6% of the respondents are belong to the group at 26-35years.
 60.1% of the respondents are getting salaried.
 56.5% of the respondents salary is between 6-10 lakhs.
 40.5% of the respondents get information by “Friends/Relatives/colleagues.
 60.8% of the respondents are owns “Sedan cars”.
 16.3% of the respondents are chosen “Mahindra”.
 75.2% of the respondents are chosen. “Between 6-10 lakhs”
 73.9% are respondents are chosen “Diesel”.
 69.9% of the respondents are satisfied with fuel consumption of car.
 43.1% of the respondents are chosen “Chrome rim”.
 39.2% of the respondents are chosen “Comfort”.
 65.4% of the respondents are preferred manual gearbox.
 49% of the respondents are say Yes for sun roof on top.
 58.2% of the respondents are saying 10000-29999 spend for service
maintenance of car.
 56.2% of the respondents are chosen for 16-20 kmpl.
 41.8%of the respondents for purpose of buying is “General city commute”.
 75.8% of the respondents are chosen “Indian cars”.
 62.1 % of the respondents are say “No” for interest rates on car loans.
 58.2% of the respondents are chosen mode of payment “paying cash”.
 39.9% of the respondents are chosen promotion offer for “Warranty”.
 69.3% are respondents are chosen “Yes” that the sedan car are capable to attract
today generation.
 64% of the respondents are satisfied using sedan cars.

77
 64.7% of the respondents are chosen “yes”. For they recommend sedan cars for
friends, colleagues and relatives.

5.2 SUGGESTION:

• Growth in income and better education will remain the foremost drivers of future
advance cars. Car manufacturers got to track these trends and align their product strategies.
• As per survey most of the respondents are 26-35 years are using sedan cars.
• There’s no significant relationship between personal factors and sedan car owned by the
respondents.
• There's no significant difference between the Age, Sex, status , Occupation, Monthly
income, Number of members within the family and satisfaction level of cars.
• There’s no significant difference between the satisfaction level of cars and academic
qualification of the respondents.
• There's significant difference between in gearbox type most of the person prefer
“Manual” in Chennai, because sedan users prefer in mid range budget, and luxury model
preferring going to “Automatic”, so both manual model and automatic model playing a
significant role in sedan cars.
• As per the survey within the fuel preferences 113 respondents for “Diesel” or chosen in
Chennai so people or going for diesel in sedan cars.
• There is no significant difference between the mileage preferences people or excepting
16 to 20kmpl, second thereto 10 to 15kmpl so both are moderate that people and excepting.
• There is a big difference between the aim of buying sedan cars, for his or her general city
commute, and travelling to office everyday purpose I Chennai.
• The type of promotion that are they excepting “price discount” for purchasing car.

• There’s significant difference between are the sedan users are “Satisfied”.
• According to the report sedan cars are flexible usage around in Chennai, so if car
purchased in Normal model and luxury model consumer preferring sedan type.

78
5.3 CONCLUSION
SEDAN car manufacturers are the most players within the car segment and there is tough
competition among Hyundai, Tata, Honda, Ford, Maruthi Suzuki etc., The authorized
dealers for the SEDAN car companies have initiated many steps towards boosting sales
operations. this study made a trial to understand car purchase satisfaction and influential
factors affecting purchase decision. Most of the buyers are satisfied with the services
provided by the dealers which they preferred Mahindra brand thanks to its comfort ability.

79
 REFERENCES
 Amit Sharma (2010) pointed out that when a buyer thinks of purchasing the
new car, the average time take in researching for the product is average 9.8
days and the people

 As per Kotwal (2009), bully off buyers now like better to have cars with the
space, comfort and luxury of a mid size saloon or sedan.

 Ashutosh Nigam & Rajiv kaushik (2012) identified that brand equity
factors help to influence the purchase decisions of customers.

 Balakrishnan Menon and Dr Jagathy Raj V.P(2011) have examined that

Automobile market has got saturated with the plenty of the car models
manufactured by the local and foreign car manufacturers.

 Brown et al (2010) found that the country of origin plays a big role within the
consumers buying behaviour.

 Clement Sudhakar and Venkatapathy (2009) observed that the

importance of coevals within the purchase behavior of car concerning
Coimbatore District.

 Dr.K.T.Kalaiselvi and D.Nidhyananth(2018) have observed that Indian

car industry has technologically advanced the and is influenced by the various
factors like extreme competition.

 Dr Vishal S.Rana and Dr M.A.Lokhande (2015) have explained the

attitude and customer satisfaction about the various car brands in the Indian
car market.

 Deloitte (2014) revealed that the first time car buyer looks to buy a car for his
family primarily.

 D.Lakshmanan.K.Gayathri (2014) have interpreted that brand image is

very much important than brand personality in real.

 Dr. H. S. Adithya (Jan 2013): Automobile Industry is one of the fastest

growing sectors in our country.

80
 Dr Poornima Tapas and Ms.RitaDangre (2013) have elaborated in their
research paper that consumer behaviour

 Joseph and Kamble (2011) judge the behavioural design shown by coach
customers in of Karnataka state.

 Kasuma (2015) elaborates on the consumer behavior pattern on buying

decision of small cars.

 Kotler and Armstrong (2006) stated that the marketers identify the factors
which are important to identify potential buyers

 K.vidyavathi (2005) the study shows throws light on various aspects that the
manufactures should concentrate on to attract the prospective buyers.

 Liu Dongyan (2012) identified safety as the most important characteristics for
them and they take value for money on the second characteristic and driving
pleasure.

 Mandeep Kaur and Sandhu (2006) establish the important features a

customer appraises while buy a new car.

 Nikhil Monga, Bhuvender Chaudhary, Saurabh Tripathi (2012) this

research attempts to answer some of the questions regarding brand personality
of selected cars in India by conducting the market research.

 Prasana Mohan Raj (2002) studied the factors influencing customers

brand preferences of the economy segment SUV and MUV.

 Ramita Verma, Shubhkamana Rathore(2008) studied the luxury car

segment of India.

 Ravichandran.K and Narayanarajan.S (2004) considered factors

determining the brand taste of durables.

 Sagar, Ambuj and Chandra (2004) talk about in their paper about how the
Indian car industry has advanced technologically driven by a confluence of things
like intense competition

81
 Sagar at al. (2004) discussed, on how the Indian car industry has advanced
technologically, operate by a confluence of things like intense competition,
difficult consumer preferences, government policies.

 White (2004) discussed the factors that affect car-buyers' choices and
comments that people expect to haggle with dealers over price and to receive
substantial rebates or incentives also as low-interest payment plans.

82
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Consumer preferences toward sedan cars in Chennai district

 Marketing management – By, Philip Kotler – Millennium Edition.
 Research Methodology – By, C.R. Kothari.
 Foundations of Advertising, Theory and practice, Himalaya Publishing
House, Bombay, 1985,- By Chunnewala&Sethia.
 Advertising Today, Int, text Books Bell and Bain, London, Great Britain,
1984,- By Frank Jefkins.
 Consumer Behaviours, prentice – Hall of India, New Delhi, 1998. – By
Schiffman & Kanuk.
 Marketing Research, Richard D, Lrwin Inc. Illinious, USA 1985,- By Boyd,
Wesfall, stasch.

Website:
 www.google.com
 www.carwale.com
 www.scribed.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.chillibreeze.com

83
 QUESTIONNAIRE
PROJECT: STUDY ON CONSUMER BRAND
PREFERNCES TOWARD SEDAN CARS IN CHENNAI
DISTRICT

1. Name

2. Age:
A.18-25 b. 26-35 c,36-45 d.46-60 above
3. Gender:
a. Male b.Female

4. Occupation:
a.Self employed b.Business people c.Salaried d.Professionals

5. What is your early Income?

a. 2.5-5 lakhs b. 6-10 lakhs c. 11-20 lakhs d. 20 lakhs
above

6. How did you get information regarding when purchasing for a car?
a. Friends/Relatives/colleagues Crossover
b. TV/Radio/Newspapers/Magazines
c. Car exhibition
d. Recommended by salesperson
e. Internet

7. What type of car would you prefer?

a. Sedan
b. Hatchback
c. Crossover
d. SUV
e. (MUV)
8. What type of brand would you prefer for buying sedan cars?
a. Hyundai
b. Honda
c. TATA
d. Mahindra
e. Toyota
f. BMW

84
 g. AUDI
h. SKODA
i. KIA
j. NISSAN
k. FORD
l.DATSUN
m.RENAULT
n. Maruthi Suzuki
o. Volkswagan

9. What is your budget to buy a car?

a. Less than 5 lakhs
b. Between 6-10 lakhs
c. Between 11-15lakhs
d. 16lakhs and above

10. What is the Fuel Preference?

a.Petrol b. Diesel c. CNG

11. How far you satisfy with the fuel consumption of car?
a. Extremely satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

12. Which type of rim do you prefer for buying a car?Speed

a. Steel rim
b. Alloy rim
c. Chrome rim
d. Spinners rim

13. What will motive to buy a car?

a. speed
b. Handling
c. Braking
d. Comfort
e. Sports feel
f. Luxury/status

14. What Gearbox do you prefer?

a. Automatic
b. Manual

15. Do you prefer sun roof on top?

a. Yes

85
 b. No

16. How much cost do you spend for service or maintenance of the car?
a. 10000-19999
b. 20000-29999
c.30000 or above

17. What kind of mileage would you prefer?

a. 10-15kmpl
b. 16-20kmpl
c. 20-30kmpl
d. 30kmpl or above

18. What is the Purpose of buying the sedan car?

a. Travelling to office everyday
b. Fun weekend trip
c. General city commute
d. Long distance driving
e. Rental car

19. Which country car do you prefer?

a. India
b. US
c. UK
d. France
e. Korea
f. Germany
g. Japan
h. Italy
i. No preference

20. Are you prefer with the interest rates on car loans?
a. Yes
b. No

21. Which type of payment terms do you prefer?Strong agree

a. Paying cash
b. Hire purchase
c. Contract hire
d. Lease purchase

86
22. What type of promotion offers were you entitled to when purchasing your sedan car?
a. Price discount
b. Warranty
c. Flexible loan scheme
d. Free option upgrade
e. Free servicing

23. Do you think that the sedan cars are capable to attract today generation?Price discount
a. Yes
b. No

24. How far you satisfy with sedan car?

a. Highly satisfied
b. satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

25. Would you recommend sedan cars to your friends, colleagues or relatives?(Promotion)

a. Very likely
b. Yes
c. No

87
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, VOL.2, NO.3, MARCH 2021.

Consumer Brand Preferences toward Sedan Cars in Chennai

Logesh kumar R1, John Britto M2
1
Student, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India.
2
Assistant Professor, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India.
Corresponding Author: klogesh070@gmail.com

Abstract: - The Automobile industry has one of the most frequently pre-owned by superior and middle class society. In advance
of 20 years only little industrialists and superior persons have automobile then after industry receive huge size of middle class
society has been increased. At now a day’s automobile sector they bring has a mandatory one to people, According to this
research consumer taste and satisfaction level about the sedan cars in Chennai. And 153 of sample size of respondents has
collected through by questionnaire to ready analyze the new data. The collected new information has be analyzed by percentage
analysis method, ANOVA Method and chi-square method, Are these tools has been applied by using SPSS software.

Key Words: — Automobile industry, Consumer taste, Sedan cars, SPSS software, ANOVA Method, Chi-square method.

I. INTRODUCTION Maruthi has been planned the straighten the manufacturing

with Maruthi and udyog has year December 1983 Indian car
The automobile mass produce industry has come through
manufacture has placed a huge role in market sector so it has
India at 1948, On that time there be three major production
get feedback through by consumers. Liberalization has
passenger cars, In India major automobiles industry is
played a various role in India they had been opened the gates
located in Mumbai, so far Hindustan motors situated at
at the period of 1993 the Indian government followed
Kolkata and standard motors was producing all over India
liberalization estimate the expenditure duty on Automobile
and it is located in Chennai. At the starting stage the Indian
components.
industry sees many problems several likewise many
obstacles like blocking the road likewise many issues has
II. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
been faced by automobile industry and tariff composition
licensing with limited expansion with dues heavily  To understands the various preferences of sedan car
opposition initially cars prices extremely highly due to the in Chennai District.
purchasers it increases rates with short period of time,  To know the factors, why the consumer choose the
previous to Independence India has imported vehicles specific brand.
during the period at 1950s appearance of Mahindra, Bajaj
 To view the customer need and fidelity about sedan
Auto, Tata motors these sectors has increased the top level
car towards Chennai District.
production in India. At the period of 1953 the government of
 To review about customer fulfilment level using
India has a private control sector that has a huge efforts with
SEDAN cars in Chennai region.
an automotive component with various configure
manufacturing has the huge number of supply of car III. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
manufacturing at the year of 1970s they have minor changes
in manufacturing industry. Car industry has grown in 1970  In sagar Ambuj Chandra (2004) in his article he talk
this growth has mainly operate by commercial vehicle, the about the technology growth has played a heavy
government of India at 1983 India made a contract with role in car manufacturing industry in that period
Suzuki Motor corporation has Japan manufacture low cost of government has driven a major role of policies
cars with India. strategies has been decided by government In that
Indian car manufacturing has made strong design
and various highly in technology growth so India
Manuscript revised March 29, 2021; accepted March 30,
2021. Date of publication March 31, 2021.
can easily tie up with huge exports with other
This paper available online at www.ijprse.com countries.
ISSN (Online): 2582-7898
 In Ravinchandran. K and Narayanrajan.S (2004) in
his paper he talk about the brand type of durables
LOGESH KUMAR R, et.al.: CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCES TOWARD SEDAN CARS IN CHENNAI 66
 the study of consumer preferences has a strong opinion

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, VOL.2, NO.3, MARCH 2021.

in advertising a brand, services of company price Sample Design

and perfection of quality has been looked far.
The sample design which is employed within the study is
 In the report of Mandeep Kaur and Sandhu (2006)
convenience sampling. Respondents from Chennai were
he talk about the new features has applied in car so
selected on the idea of convenience.
far the people they are looking for safety
preferences and main and important features that Sample Size:
had been compare to normal and highly branded Sample size taken for the study is 153 respondents.
cars. Sources of data:
 In the report of Brown et al (2010) he said about The data is collected through in two ways.
country has want to have a big infrastructure the
Primary data:
name of the country it depends the reputation
The first data was collected freshly and thus it had been
changes big impact in car manufacturing.
original in character. It’s been collected through
 In the report Clement Sudhakar and Venkatapathy
questionnaire. The questionnaire was given to the
(2009) he talk about the small sized and midsized
respondents once they visited respective show rooms and
cars like mini cars it has giving some importance to
consumers.
middle class people it’s very comp active to them
 In report As per Kotwal (2009) in his report he talks Secondary data:
about the luxury car and mid-size cars like sedan Secondary data are data which own already been collected
model. According to the period of growth now a by someone. Its main sources are Journals, Newspaper,
day’s technology has grown high level so the magazines, and Internet etc.
population of Indian preferring sedan type model. Table.1. Source of information regarding purchasing a car.

IV. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM PARTICULARS NO OF PERCENT

RESPONSE AGE
Friends/Relatives/colleagues 62 40.5
The Automobile part has highly grown prospective in India,
TV/Radio/Newspapers/Mag 24 15.7
Market place has huge and less possible factor at day to day azines
end so the income of useful way to be penetrated in very Car exhibition 16 10.5
levels. Recommended by sales 16 10.5
The Indian industry has combine variable sector through all person

economic demand has National level Board has research Internet 35 22.8

(NCAER) it plays an important factor through perceptions. Total 125 100

The study shows the levels of preferences towards in sedan

The content of table explains the respondents of
cars.
Friends/Relatives/colleagues has 62 number of respondents
 What is the purpose of that consumer choose to buy and 24 of the respondents for
the sedan car? TV/Radio/Newspaper/Magazines, 16 of the respondents for
 What are the elements that determine purchasing
Table.2. Purpose of buying the sedan car
the sedan car?
 Will the customer is true to the specific brand?

V. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Descriptive Method
Research in common refers to an enquiry for knowledge.
Research methodology may be thanks to systematically
solve the research problem. It’s going to be understood as
science of studying how research is completed scientifically.
Method of sampling:
Simple random sampling

LOGESH KUMAR R, et.al.: CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCES TOWARD SEDAN CARS IN CHENNAI 67
 PARTICULARS NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONSE
Travelling to 43 28.1
office everyday

Fun weekend trip 26 17

General city 64 41.8

commute
Long distance 20 13.1
driving
Rental car 0 0

Total 153 100

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, VOL.2, NO.3, MARCH 2021.

Interpretation
car exhibition, 16 of the respondents recommend by sales
From the above ANOVA analysis it’s inferred that there’s a
person, 35 of the respondents for Internet.
big difference between the occupation of respondents and
From the above table it is interpreted that the number also the satisfy with the fuel consumption of car and
respondents of Travelling to office every day is 28.1%, Fun therefore the P value of the factor are greater than the many
weekend trip is 17%, General city commute is 41.8%, Long value of 0.05 except the satisfy of the sedan users and p
Distance driving is 13.1%, Rental car is 0%. value 0.578 than the many value, that it’s said that the
Table.3. How far you satisfy with sedan car respondents rating about the satisfied with fuel consumption
of car.
PARTICULARS NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONSE Table-2
Highly satisfied 13 8.5
Null hypothesis (H0):
Satisfied 98 64.0 The no significant difference between the occupation
Neutral 37 24.2 respondents the satisfy with fuel consumption of car.

Dissatisfied 5 3.3
Alternative hypothesis (H1):
The respondents rating about the satisfy about the sedan car
Total 153 100
will ANOVA
differ across various occupation of respondents.

From the above table it is interpreted that the number of

respondents for highly satisfied is 8.5%, Satisfied 64.1%, Satisfy With Sum Of Mean
Sedan Car Squares Df Square F Sig.
Neutral 17.6%, and Dissatisfied 10%.
Between
B. Anova Analysis .268 3 .089 .214 .886
Groups
Table-1 Within
62.176 149 .417
Groups
Null hypothesis (H0):
Total 62.444 152
There is no significant difference between the occupation of
the respondents and the satisfy with fuel consumption of car.
Alternative hypothesis (H1): Interpretation:
From the above ANOVA analysis it’s inferred that there’s a
The respondents rating about the satisfy with fuel
major difference between the occupation of respondents and
consumption of car and various occupation of respondents.
therefore the satisfy about the customer using sedan cars of
Table-1: and the way far they satisfy about the sedan because the P
value of the factor are greater than the numerous value of
0.05 except the satisfy of the sedan users and P value 0.886
ANOVA than the many value, then it’s said that the respondents rating
about the satisfied about the customer using sedan cars.
Fuel
Consumptio Sum Of Mean
n Squares Df Square F Sig. VI. RECOMMENDATIONS
Between
.669 3 .223 .660 .578  The recommended of the manufacturer has
Groups
contemplate various level of design technology it
Within covers the customers.
50.389 149 .338
Groups
 The pattern of replacement of car it want to be
Total 51.059 152 safety and contemplate features want to be there.
 The advice of the consumer try to search out service
while purchasing car want to good, and after
purchasing same services excepting from them.

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, VOL.2, NO.3, MARCH 2021.

VII. CONCLUSION

The manufacturers of sedan cars are the foremost participant

within the car division has heavy opposition with Hyundai,
maruthi Suzuki, Ford, Tata, Honda etc. they approve that
salesperson has doing many things to do increasing the sales
work. According to the study shows the sedan car gives the
satisfaction controlling factors act on purchase decision. So
that many of the buyers they satisfied with their services and
giving comfort feel to them mainly they choose Mahindra
brand due to its Ability.

REFERENCES
[1]. Amit Sharma (2010) acknowledged that when a buyer
thinks of buying the new car, the common time absorb
researching for the merchandise is average 9.8 days and also
the people.
[2]. As per kotwal (2009), play buyers now value more highly to
possess cars with the space, comfort and luxury of a mid-
size saloon or sedan.
[3]. Brown et al (2010) found that the country of origin plays
and enormous role within the consumers buying behavior.
[4]. Clement Sudhakar and Venkatapathy (2009) he analysed the
importance of coevals within an acquisition behavior to
prefer a car concerning at district of Coimbatore.
[5]. In Joseph and kamble (2011) he judge that behavioural
design has motive to attract the customers.
[6]. In Mandeep kaur and Sandhu (2006) establish that they talk
about consumer appraises it seems to pick a Luxury car.
[7]. In sagar, Ambuj and Chandra (2004) they talk about the car
industry has technology plays a big role now a days it
increases competitors.
[8]. In Ravichandran.K and Narayanarajan.S in his report they
talk about according to the brand taste people like to prefer.
[9]. In White (2004) he told that consumers have budget plan
according to that they prefer brands and type of car with
their preferable budget.

LOGESH KUMAR R, et.al.: CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCES TOWARD SEDAN CARS IN CHENNAI 70