What does 'new' mean? Investigating the appeal/unappeal of 'new' in car purchasing

Girish Punj, Jacqueline Smart and Richard Brookes

We examine how three possible structural changes in the New Zealand auto industry (tariff elimination; importation of well-specified used Japanese cars; and changes to consumers' meaning of 'value') meant that whilst new cars were become more affordable, by 2001 the car industry was asking: 'Where have all the new buyers gone?' Our research identified five buying strategies of private car buyers.

What Does 'New' Mean?

Investigating the Appeal/Unappeal of 'New' in Car Purchasing

Richard BrookesThe University of Auckland, New Zealand

Jacqueline SmartFCB, New Zealand

Girish PunjUniversity of Connecticut, United States

INTRODUCTION

A critical marketing function is to create a “psychological relationship” between consumers and products or services. As Walker and Olsen (1991) argued more than a decade ago: “Marketing must persuade the consumer to associate the product or service with satisfying some benefit, goal, or value that is important to the consumer”.1)

By the end of 2001 several key members of the official automobile industry body (Motor...

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