Analyzing the Intention to Purchase Proton Automobiles: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

The automobile industry in Malaysia is growing, and the local car manufacturers are investing heavily in research and development to enable products that are more functional. This is in the bid to compete with the growing popularity of foreign cars in Malaysia. This industry is expected to grow steadily in the near future due to the high demand for premium products, and as the working population and families in Malaysia become more affluent. The main objective of this research, therefore, is to examine the influence of key factors including country of origin, advertising, brand image, product knowledge, product quality, and price on consumers’ purchase intention for Proton vehicles in Malaysia. We used a survey questionnaire to collect 988 valid responses from participants selected from four cities using convenient sampling method. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. The findings reveal that all the hypotheses were supported except for brand image and product quality. Finally, we outlined specific research and practice contributions based on the findings, and highlighted areas for future research. Keywords: Product Quality, Image, Knowledge, Advertising, Consumers’ Purchase Decision, Automobile, Malaysia