Latest study reveals 9 out of 10 customers in India want cars with a safety rating
A study was conducted among customers to gauge their feature preferences, when it comes to choosing a personal car. The survey was commissioned by Škoda Auto India and conducted by NIQ BASES. It revealed a heavy inclination among customers towards the safety features of the car with 9 out of 10 customers who thought all cars in India should have a safety rating. Crash-ratings and number of airbags were the top two features driving the consumer car purchase decision as derived from the survey results. Fuel-efficiency, one of the popular features, occupied third place.
About 67% of the respondents consisted of current car owners who owned a car above Rs 5 lakh. Some 33% did not own a car, but intended to purchase one above Rs 5 lakh within a year. The survey was conducted on individuals between 18 and 54 years of age in the SEC A and B bracket, with 80% respondents being male, and 20% female.
The car’s crash rating was the top driver of customer car purchase decision with an importance score of 22.3% followed by number of airbags with an importance score of 21.6%. Fuel efficiency emerged as the third most important driver with importance score of 15.0% when purchasing a car.
When it comes to crash rating for cars, maximum customer preference of 22.2% was observed for a 5-star rating followed closely by 21.3% preference for a 4- star rating. Crash rating of zero is the least preferred with only 6.8% score.
While the awareness about existence of 2 sets of 5-star safety ratings on crash tests is high at about 76%, only about 30% of all customers in India identify child/rear occupants safety rating as being one of those two sets.
Petr Šolc, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India, said, “For us at Škoda, safety is part of our DNA and it is our philosophy to build safe cars. We have an over 50-year legacy with crash-tests and safety. And since 2008, every Škoda car has been crash-tested globally, and in India, with a 5-star safety rating. The survey reveals Škoda to be perceived as among the top-3 brands having models with high safety ratings. With India’s rapidly growing infrastructure, and the upcoming proposals for India’s own crash-testing standards, it is heartening to see consumers being aware of and demanding safety. This is the right way forward. And Škoda will continue focusing on these values to grow the brand in the Indian market.”
Amrita Srivastava, Regional Director (APMEA),BASES Speciality Sales, NIQ BASES, “The survey, which was done using NIQ BASES solution – FPO (Feature Price Optimiser) based on discrete choice methodology, revealed that the customer places the safety feature of ‘Crash Rating‘ among the tested features(1), at the forefront of their purchasing criteria. Our Feature Price Optimiser (FPO) leverages customer choices to understand their purchase behavior and trade-offs that they are willing to make. The survey covered 1,000 people in 10 states across India. The states covered were Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.”
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General Global NCAP, “Since 2014 Global NCAP has been encouraging a market shift in India for safer cars. We have been delighted with the positive response from consumers and the impact this has had on accelerating automaker safety design improvements. This recent survey demonstrates that consumers see safety as a priority in making a purchasing decision. A strong market indicator that safety sells cars as well as saving lives.”
With a major focus on safety from the Government of India and other regulators, the study was conducted to gauge the perception of safety in cars among consumers. The survey went about tracking the features which were the most discriminating in driving consumer choice. And the position of safety in this list of features. The interview flow consisted of screening questions, followed by an explanation of features and a virtual shopping exercise where customers were asked to pick and choose the most preferred concept consisting of different features The survey also had few additional questions on which direct customer responses were captured to understand their awareness/sentiments on some safety related aspects/initiatives.
Further information
Škoda Auto India
Saurabh Dedhia
Product and Brand Communications
T – +91 22 3313 7046
saurabh.dedhia@skoda-auto.co.in
MSL India
Ankit Daswani
Associate Director
T – +91 9833559433
ankit.daswani@mslgroup.com
Škoda Auto
- is successfully steering through the new decade with the Next Level – Škoda Strategy 2030.
- aims to be one of the five best-selling brands in Europe by 2030 with an attractive line-up in the entry-level segments and additional e-models.
- is emerging as the leading European brand in important growth markets such as India or North Africa.
- currently offers its customers twelve passenger-car series: the Fabia, Rapid, Scala, Octavia and Superb as well as the Kamiq, Karoq, Kodiaq, Enyaq iV, Enyaq Coupé iV, Slavia and Kushaq.
- delivered over 731,000 vehicles to customers around the world in 2022.
- has been a member of the Volkswagen Group for 30 years. The Volkswagen Group is one of the most successful vehicle manufacturers in the world.
- independently manufactures and develops not only vehicles but also components such as MEB battery systems, engines and transmissions in association with the Group.
- operates at three sites in the Czech Republic; has additional production capacity in China, Slovakia and India primarily through Group partnerships, as well as in Ukraine with a local partner.
- employs over 40,000 people globally and is active in over 100 markets.
Škoda Auto India
- fascinating customers in India since 2001.
- offers 3 models in India – Slavia, Kushaq and Kodiaq
- present in more than 140 cities across the country with over 240 customer touchpoints
- recorded triple digit growth of 125% with 53,721 units sold in 2022
Škoda Auto India website – www.škoda-auto.co.in
Škoda Auto India Communications Twitter Handle – @SkodaIndia_PR
NIQ BASES
NIQ, the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, reveals new pathways to growth for retailers and consumer goods manufacturers. With operations in more than 100 countries, NIQ delivers the most complete and clear understanding of consumer buying behaviour through an advanced business intelligence platform with integrated predictive analytics. NIQ delivers the Full View.
NIQ was founded in 1923 and is an Advent International portfolio company. For more information, visit NIQ.com