Marketing electric cars in India: Exploring the attitudinal dimensions

Abstract

Consumer research on electric cars category in the Indian context has been very few. This research attempts to provide insights on how to market electric cars in India. Electric cars are an emerging segment in the world and more so in India. Consumer attitude towards this category has not been formed to a great strength. But it is evident that given the environment, energy and political landscape, electric cars will surely penetrate the Indian market in the coming decade. In order to market a new product, certain dimensions related to consumer behavior need to be studied to market them better. This research explores the attitudinal dimension and identifies factors that would lead to favorable attitude formation. Literature survey has been conducted to find out factors leading to affect and cognition since they are the two major components of attitude formation. Certain personality trait dimensions have also been identified for identifying target segments. Need for cognition or consumers seeking new solutions to problems have been identified as the major personality trait of consumers having high willingness to buy electric cars. The study has been conducted on two consumer groups – “High willingness to buy electric cars” and “Low willingness to buy electric cars”. They have been exposed to various questions through an online survey regarding each factor identified in the literature survey. The findings suggest that the two groups differ in factors namely, “Inter-component Ambivalence”, “Visual appeal – Technical advancement”, “Luxury-Sustainability ambivalence”, “Great driving experience – Performance and latest technology”, “Self-perceived product category knowledge” and “Environment preservation”. From the analysis common factors for both groups have been identified as, “Reflective emotions”, “Visual - Elegance”, “Source trustworthiness”, “Categorization process” and “Task complexity”. After identifying factors, implications for marketers have been discussed in this report. These factors can be used to form different communications targeting each of the consumers groups. With this literature, we intend to add value to the branding of electric vehicles with special focus on consumer attitude in India.