Journal Press India^®

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The hatchback car models has been a segment exhibiting promising market growth in India. Buyers from West Delhi Metropolitan area have increasingly adopted hatchbacks as their preferred mode of transportation making its acceptance evident among the buyers. This research work intends to identify and ascertain the changing brand inclination and predisposition of consumers, with respect to hatchback models of cars, during the Covid-19 pandemic spread in the West Delhi markets. The investigation demonstrated that customers in this region predominantly are positively disposed and have a distinct inclination towards Maruti Suzuki brand in hatchback cars. The study deploying a two stage research design involving the exploratory and descriptive methodology, making use of secondary as well as primary data collected with the help of a structured questionnaire, provides us evidence that at the time of making the buying factors and determinants like fuel efficiency, safety, aesthetics, performance attributes and value for money are key considerations affecting customer's brand inclination for hatchback cars. These determinants are consistent with the fact that during this Covid-19 crisis, on account of reduced purchasing power, customers are particularly looking for value for money and fuel efficiency, so that the acquisition and maintenance costs are kept to the minimum, in times of a crisis like Covid-19, which has witnessed considerable erosion in the disposable income of the consumers. The same is substantiated through Exploratory Factor Analysis that performance, safety, value and aesthetics positively influence the customer's satisfaction. Hence, hatchback car marketer's need to focus on worthwhile augmentations enhancing consumer perception regarding the quality of brand, its features and benefits. With tough competition in the Indian market, competitive price and affordability along with superior quality and reasonable maintenance requirements for buyers' becomes a must. Fuel efficiency factor obviously remains an indispensable factor with a distinct bearing on the consumer's choices, especially in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought about a considerable attrition in the ability of the consumers to acquire and maintain a passenger car. The marketers' need to consider these crucial dimensions, since Indian consumers are thoughtful of these critical aspects while assigning considerable weightage to them at the time of pre-purchase decision making for buying hatchback car models.

Keywords

Hatchback, Consumer preference, buying determinants, Brand, Customer Satisfaction

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