What affects Malaysian consumers’ intention to purchase hybrid car?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influence consumers’ intention to purchase hybrid car and explore the roles of consumption values in automotive context. The study has been examining the direct relationship between functional value, symbolic value, emotional value, novelty value and conditional value with consumers’ intention to purchase hybrid car. Each variable was measured using 7-point Likert-scale. Questionnaire was used to collect data from individual consumers in Klang Valley. The data were then analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 2.0. Five hypotheses were developed for this study and were tested using two stages analyses. The first stage involves measurement model while the second stage is structural model. The results of the study indicated that functional value is the most significant predictor of consumers’ intention to purchase hybrid car. In contrast, symbolic value, emotional value and novelty value failed to show significant relationship with consumers’ intention to purchase hybrid car. Finally, implications of the findings as well as limitations and future research are discussed.