Abstract

BENEKE, J; HUMAN, G  and  WU, J. An investigation into South African consumers' willingness to purchase new Chinese and Indian motor vehicles. JCMAN [online]. 2010, vol.7, n.1, pp.129-145. ISSN 1815-7440.

This paper aims to understand the willingness of South African consumers to buy Chinese and Indian cars, especially in the face of an unfavourable economic outlook. To do so, purchase behaviour of low-end motor vehicle buyers was investigated at an exploratory level. Perceived quality and perceived value, as expected, were found to be pivotal factors in the car purchasing decision process. A further aim was to identify which demographic groups are more willing to buy Chinese and Indian car brands. Demographic variables such as ethnicity, gender and income group, inter alia, were found to play a significant role in influencing consumers' choice of cars. The study found that the mainstream market (particularly non-white consumers) was receptive to the notion of buying Asian cars, but that these consumers were only willing to spend between R 50 000 and R 100 000 on vehicles. Nonetheless, opportunities certainly exist for the sale of these brands within South African market.

Keywords : Purchasing behaviour; perceptions; vehicles; Indian; Chinese; South Africa.

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