Exterior Design of the Automobile and Consumer Perception
Student Ching, I-Ling
Advisor Dr. Charles V. Trappey
A Thesis
Submitted to Program Master in Management Science College of Management
National Chiao Tung University in partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Master in Business Administration
June 2005
( ) 1. ( ) ( ) ( ) :______________ 2. ( ) ( ) :______________ 3. ( ) – 9172505
( ) ( ) 9172505
1. ( )
Exterior Design of the Automobile and Consumer Perception
Student: Ching, I-Ling Advisor: Dr. Charles V. Trappey
Department of Management Science
National Chiao Tung University
ABSTRACT
This is a consumer-oriented market. Understanding consumers, exploring needs and thus meeting their diversified needs are all corporations trying to do. With advanced manufacturing techniques, consumers do not need to particularly worry product quality. When products are all made of fair quality, how do corporations differentiate their products and to attract consumers? In addition, internet usage is widespread so information is flooding. Consumers do not need to know a specific product via traditional media such as commercials so traditional media is not as beneficial as before. Some scholars point out that product design has been recognized as a new marketing tool to differentiate products and to enhance the added value.
Automobile history has been more than hundred years. From the first car to more than hundreds of them offered on the market, car has faced with the same situation as mentioned above products. Now it is easier for consumers to purchase a car which was a luxury product. Moreover, female drivers increase and due to their buying potential, car manufacturers are endeavoring to offer cars that attract females.
This research is to understand the relation between exterior design of the automobile and consumer perception. Through a questionnaire and statistical analyses, the research shows that consumers regard automobile design very important. The research also finds out that consumers with different demographic segmentations such as age, income, education and car-buying experience, do not perceive automobile design differently. However, there are differences between male and female consumers in perceiving automobile design, and the findings can be applied to future exterior design of the automobile.
iv INDEX Page ABSTRACT IN CHINESE………... i ABSTRACT……….. ii THANKS……….. iii INDEX………..………iv LIST OF TABLES……….vi LIST OF FIGURES……….…viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION………..…1 1.1 Research Motivation……….…..1 1.2 Research Background………..2 1.3 Research Objective………..4 1.4 Theoretical Framework……….………..6
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW………8
2.1 Consumer Perception………..………....8
2.2 Product Design...………..………..11
2.3 Automobile Design……… ………...13
2.4 Words to Describe Perception ……….. .………...16
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY………....19 3.1 Research Hypotheses…..………...19 3.2 Automobile Taxonomies…..……….…….23 3.3 Research Framework.………..…….…….25 3.4 Sample Frame………26 3.5 Methodology………..26 3.6 Research Limit………...27
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND FINDINGS……….…28
4.1 Respondents Structure………28
4.2 Statistical Analyses …….…..………29
4.2.1 The effect of gender on evaluation and perception of automobile design………30
4.2.2 The effect of age on evaluation and perception of automobile design………..………..38
4.2.3 The effect of income on evaluation and perception of automobile design………..………..42
4.2.4 The effect of education on evaluation and perception of automobile design………....49
4.2.5 The effect of experience on evaluation and perception of automobile design………55
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION……….…...59
5.1 Conclusions……….………..………59
5.2 Managerial Application……….62
5.3 Suggestions……….……….…….………….63
REFERENCES………..65
APPENDIX A ENGLISH QUESTIONNAIRE……….70
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
Table 1. The evolution of automobile design………..….…14
Table 2. The configuration of automobile design...16
Table 3. Adjectives to describe automobile design……..………..…………..18
Table 4. The five hypotheses to be verified in this research………..…….……..23
Table 5. The eight taxonomies of automobile shape in this research….….………….24
Table 6. Respondents’ background………..……….29
Table 7. Gender difference in regarding importance of gasoline-saving ……. ……...31
Table 8. Gender difference in preferring style C………..………32
Table 9. Gender difference in preferring style D……….……….32
Table 10. T test for gender difference in preferring style C & style D……….…32
Table 11. Gender difference in using “modern” to describe big car..………..….……33
Table 12. Gender difference in using “streamline” to describe small car……….34
Table 13. Gender difference in using “feminine” to describe small car…………..….34
Table 14. Gender difference in using “lovely” to describe small car………..….35
Table 15. Gender difference in using “modern” to describe style B………….…...36
Table 16. Gender difference in using “masculine” to describe style C…..…….…….36
Table 17. Gender difference in using “dynamic” to describe style D…………..…….37
Table 18. Gender difference in using “simple” to describe style E……….…….37
Table 19. Gender difference in using “feminine” to describe style F………..…38
Table 20. Age difference in regarding importance of after-sale service…………...39
Table 21. T test for age difference in regarding importance of after-sale service..…..40
Table 22. Age difference in using “masculine” to describe big car….…….…………41
Table 23. T test for age difference in using “masculine” to describe big car………...42
Table 25. T test for income difference in buying a car with disliked design…...……45 Table 26. Income Difference in preferring style C………….……….46 Table 27. T test for income difference in preferring style C………...……...46 Table 28. Income difference in using “streamlined” to describe style C……….48 Table 29. T test for income difference in using “streamlined” to describe style C.….49 Table 30. Education difference in regarding importance of gasoline-saving factor....50 Table 31. Education difference in regarding importance of gasoline-saving..………50 Table 32. Education difference in using “lovely” to describe small car.…….…...….52 Table 33. T test for education difference in using “lovely” to describe small car..….52 Table 34. Education difference in using “comfortable” to describe Style G……..….54 Table 35. T test for education difference in using “comfortable” to describe style G.54 Table 36. Experience difference in using “modern” to describe big car…………..…56 Table 37. Experience difference in using “dynamic” to describe small car……..…...56 Table 38. Experience difference in using “dazzling” to describe style C...…………..57 Table 39. Experience difference in using “streamlined” to describe style G…….…...57 Table 40: Summary of hypotheses tested after statistical analyses…..………60
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
Figure 1. Theoretical framework……….….….7
Figure 2. Consumer perception process……….…..…. 8
Figure 3. A model of consumers’ response to product form………..……11
