A study of consumers’ perception and key factors in decision-making toward electric cars in Bangkok Metropolitan Region

The automotive industry has had an important role in Thailand’s economy for many years. In 2017, this industry contributed nearly 12% of the country’s GDP with up to two million vehicles being produced (OICA, 2017), As a consequence, this has made the country be ranked as the number one largest automotive producer in Southeast Asia, fifth in Asia, and 12th in the world. In fact, the global automotive industry has been moving toward zero carbon transport by reducing pollutant emissions in the world. Therefore, the electric car revolution has become an attractive investment market in recent years. However, building a domestic market for electric cars is still a challenge and will likely take years to penetrate the Thai market due to a variety of obstacles. This study is a contemporary topic in applied marketing that focuses on the subject area of the technological issue of electric cars in Thailand.The purpose of this study aimed to understand the need for electric cars in the Thai consumers’ mind focusing on the potential customers based on individual characteristics, and the key driven factors that impact on purchasing electric cars. The study was conducted using exploratory research and descriptive research. The exploratory research consisted of secondary research and in-depth interviews of four respondents. The descriptive research was conducted using an online questionnaire with 160 respondents. All the target respondents were Thai people aged 25-49 years who lived in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The data acquired from the questionnaire results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in order to provide the result findings for each research objective. As a result of the study, the respondents were grouped into three segments based on attitude and lifestyle: 1) High-end Tech Savvy Consumers, 2) Eco-conscious Consumers, and 3) Independent Quality-oriented Consumers. Furthermore, the key important factors that significantly had an impact on the purchasing decision were the Reliability of the technology, Design, Lower tax on EVs, and Charging stations coverage in major cities. Therefore, the findings would be beneficial for businesses or related parties that are involved in the electric vehicle (EV) industry from the government, public or private charging infrastructure, and auto manufacturers. This would be in preparation for attracting early adopters of the brand new technology of EVs in Thailand.汽车工业多年来在泰国经济中始终发挥着重要支柱作用。2017年，该行业贡献了该国近12%的GDP，汽车产量高达200万辆（OICA，2017），也因此使泰国跻身东南亚第一大汽车生产国、亚洲第五大汽车生产国，位列全球第十二。当前全球汽车工业正通过削减全球污染物排放，朝着零碳交通的方向转型，电动汽车革命近年已成为极具吸引力的投资赛道。然而，打造本土电动汽车市场仍面临多重障碍，预计需耗时数年才能渗透泰国市场。本研究属于应用营销领域的前沿课题，聚焦泰国电动汽车的技术应用议题，旨在基于消费者个体特征，洞察泰国消费者对电动汽车的需求偏好，以及影响其购买电动汽车的核心驱动因素。研究采用探索性研究与描述性研究相结合的方法：探索性研究包含二手资料调研与对4名受访者的深度访谈；描述性研究则通过面向160名受访者的在线问卷开展，所有目标受访者均为居住在曼谷都会区、年龄介于25-49岁的泰国民众。问卷采集的数据借助社会科学统计软件包（Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, SPSS）进行分析，以输出各研究目标对应的结果。研究结果显示，受访者可基于态度与生活方式划分为三大细分群体：1）高端科技发烧友消费者；2）环保意识型消费者；3）独立品质导向型消费者。此外，显著影响购买决策的关键因素包括：技术可靠性、产品设计、电动汽车低税率，以及主要城市的充电站覆盖率。本研究结果可为电动汽车（Electric Vehicle, EV）产业的相关主体——包括政府、公共及私人充电基础设施提供商与汽车制造商——提供决策参考，助力其针对泰国市场电动汽车新技术的早期采纳者开展推广筹备工作。