The effect of social influence on consumers’ hybrid electric vehicles adoption in Korea and China

Abstract

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have a critical role in migrating climate change and saving oil resources. Even though supported by government with several incentives, HEVs are still less accepted by consumers. Hence, understanding of consumers’ needs is vital for the success of HEVs, whereas alternative vehicles’ social perceptions (such as consumers’ motivations of altruism, enhanced image in one’s social system, and complying into important others) and personal perceptions (such as benefit and loss perceptions of adopting an alternative vehicles) involved in HEVs purchase behavior are less researched, and also little study considered national different economic background’s moderation effects in this field. Hence, current study tries to estimate the effect of these social motives and personal perceptions on adopt intention of potential HEVs’ consumers, and identify moderating effect of different national economic situation on the whole constructs between Korea and China. For current study, China represents the emerging country, while Korea represents the more developed country in automobile industry. Hypotheses are developed from literatures, and tested using questionnaires. Social motives, such as altruism and subjective norm are find significantly increasing consumers’ purchase intention in both Korea and China, whereas different national economic development situation also has an significant effect on consumers’ intention of purchasing an HEV. This is particularly reflected by the different effect on consumers’ perceived risk and relative advantage perceptions. The findings from these two countries provide managerial insights for policy developers and manufactures into potential consumers’ behavior of HEVS.