[EightSix]

Previously, we have discussed whether BHPians would buy a car if a particular celebrity endorses it in supremeBaleno's thread (Does celebrity endorsement help? Will you buy a car because a popular actor/actress endorsed it?). Even if enthusiasts like us do not base our car-purchase decisions on celebrity endorsements, it is very effective to grab the buyer's attention. A more recent trick used by manufacturers is advertising the country of their origin.

Some cars have characteristics associated with their country of origin. (Check out VWAllstar’s cool thread on the same by clicking this text (Car characteristics as per country of origin (e.g. Japan = reliability)).) Anyhoo, this practice perfectly fine and is known as the country-of-origin effect. It refers to the practice of marketers and consumers associating brands with countries and making buying decisions made on the country of origin of the product.

Brands can use country of origin effectively to market their products. There is nothing wrong with this practice. But what I have observed, most new brands that have come to India are using this more than before. Their whole advertising campaign is based on the Country of Origin. It looks like automakers are trying to repeatedly drill the fact into our brains that they are from a certain country.

Check out one of the Citroën C5 Aircross's advertisements that informs us about its launch date. Notice the French flag up there?



The French marque's other advertisements include the word Bonjour.



The best example of this is MG. The brand is big on British pedigree and its Chinese owner doesn't forget to take the advantage of this even once. The British Union Jack, the adverts - they are all stale news.



Image Source - https://www.turnofspeed.in/view_revi...es-and-gloster

A recent update on MG is that they trademarked the name Astor for their upcoming model.

Here is what a fellow BHPian - Sanidhya mukund - had to say to this —

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Seems like they have named it after Nancy Astor, who was the first ever woman to sit in the British House of Commons.
I must really appreciate the kind of research their marketing team actually does to make their cars sound British. Hector, Gloster, And now Astor.

Up next in this list, we have Volvo. Look at the Swedish flag on its seats. It doesn't serve any purpose. But it's there. It reminds you of Volvo’s Scandinavian heritage, while at the same time it is modest and subtle. Ergo, I don’t have any problem with this one.



We also have the Fiat 500’s floormats and the Alpine A110’s doors - which according to Automotive News Europe is a ”way to show national pride”. Is that it? Or is it a trick to get buyers? If yes, how?





Source: https://europe.autonews.com/article/...national-pride

And as consumers, we are getting affected by the country of origin trend too. People have willingly displayed flags of their car make's country of origin on their license plates.



Source: http://www.wheelslifestyle.com/number-plates.php

On Team-BHP’s Facebook posts, there are comments requesting people to buy only Indian cars.

So, what’s it with manufacturers advertising their country of origin? Time to hear your thoughts. With that, I sign off.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[gkveda]

Very good question to think of. I must accept very honestly that this question triggered an impulsive patriotism and made me write I love India and definitely a car with tag "Indian car" will influence my purchase decision.

But, wait, am I really being truthful, if I end my post there saying I prioritize Indian origin cars? honestly, I am NOT. Secondly, question was not about just Indian cars.

So, the truthful response would be, yes, the country of origin definitely influences my purchase decision because, every country has created a perception on their dominant characteristics imbibed into their cars in our brain.

For example(All these are my perceptions only): Japanese cars equates quality and reliability, German cars are costly, European cars have solid build, Korean cars are features rich, etc. And finally, as they say, Beyond a certain point of analysis, its all about perception.


So, to summarize and answer the question, yes, my car purchase decision definitely influences the country of origin based on the reputation, my perception and people perception about the country. Whether it is known for quality, reliability and beyond everything, the respect the country carries, towards India and Indian customers.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Most people would buy a car that meets their requirements and budget, the country of origin as a factor in itself rarely influences purchase decisions. But the thing is, the country of origin plays a very indirect role in influencing purchase decisions because of the fact that all cars coming from a particular country seem to have some common characteristics.
Japanese cars are reliable, efficient and generally quite affordable. German cars are well built, solid and have good driving dynamics. French cars are known to be quirky and most of them seem to have a pliant ride quality.
Now, if a person is looking for an A to B commuter, a boring, reliable car that won’t give trouble, you’ll see that most of the cars that meet these requirements are Japanese cars. If this person goes and buys a Toyota Corolla, it wouldn’t be because he wanted a Japanese car, it would be because the Japanese car was the one that met his requirements.

BUT, when you throw emotions into the picture, things tend to change. Taking the US car market as an example, a lot of Americans only buy American cars. To cater to this section, you’ll see Chevy ads like these;





Image source: Google images

Even if you look at the Indian market, there are people who strongly believe in “make in India”, “vocal for local” and actually prefer to put their money on a domestic product. You can see Tata using “vocal for local” in their ads in a subtle manner and some of their dealers use this slogan in a far more vocal manner:


Related thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-decision.html (Tata / Mahindra Car Owners: Did "Patriotism" play a role in your buying decision?)

The anti China sentiments that some people have in India was the main reason why SAIC acquired a dead British Marque to sell their Baojuns.
You must have seen those jokes and memes about “made in China” products. Would be interesting to know that how many people bought MGs without knowing the fact that the cars are actually Chinese and how many would have refrained from buying them had they known the truth.

Personally, I am not THAT biased for/against a car based on its country of origin, but when it comes to putting my money on a product, I don’t think I would ever buy a Chinese car, not because I don’t like China, but because I don’t like their cars.

[fhdowntheline]

Why should anyone care as long as it is a good car that suits the purpose for the consumer? India of all the geographies has always been diverse and open to influences.
Real national pride lies in obeying the laws of the land more than anything else.

[vinu_h]

Total tax works out to >40% even when it's sourced locally, only the landing cost changes. To me, local or not, anything that sells in India provides for jobs, taxes etc and that's what matters.

[amol4184]

Say what you will, MG's "BRIT" logo with their flag is the just egregious.
Other examples especially the Italian ones are subtle and as far as I remember Italian tricolor band started it first.
Ducati Monsters with little tricolor decal really looks great.

That said, if a car is actually made in Japan (and not Japanese car made in India) it would definitely matter to me. Cherry on top if they put a little emblem like what Volvo does.

[ramki.grandhi]

Actually it matters to many consumers, I guess. May be, that is why MG claims to be British car. Given that big cars are seen as status symbols, even manufacturers know that people would prefer to be seen as British car than Chinese car.

For last many decades, the word "Chinese" has become synonym for "cheap" in all manufacturing sectors. So, it makes sense for MG to try hard to appear as British.

[Gansan]

I will not buy automobiles originating from certain countries. China is top on the list. MG Rover being British is the biggest joke.

My first preference is Japanese. Then some selected Europeans. Then Korea. Not very keen on any automobile from the USA either.

[rajshenoy]

I think the question is more relevant if we ask the origins of the "brand"

For example the Germans, Japanese are proud of their roots and love flaunting it. I will gladly take it as long as they are true to their roots here.

However there are plenty of cross breeding (badging) happening today.

Renault-nissan : keep launching cross badged cars(duster was not even french or japanese) and leaves me confused on their roots

Volvo/JLR : owned by Chinese/Indian management but I guess the R&D and brand still retain their roots(I guess RE too maintains this to a certain extent)

MG: outright Fake and cheating when you try to milk a British brand by rebranding a Chinese car. Similar story with CHEVY too, thankfully they packed bags. Another example here is Benelli(nothing Italian about it)

Hyundai/kia : aggressive, however no strong roots to Korea or historical brand value, most of their cars were copycats a while ago. But current and future strategy looks good as a brand.

Lastly, we have india specific cars by global players like Toyota/suzuki, skoda/vw and so on which I am not sure can meet their global/home country standards.

[TrackDay]

I will be honest. That is the last thing on my mind while buying a car.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

I think the question is more relevant if we ask the origins of the "brand"

For example the Germans, Japanese are proud of their roots and love flaunting it.

If one were to dig into the corporate dealing behind each and every Automobile manufacturers there will be a lot of dirty history.

Even some of your so called favorite German brands were born because of a dictator, while even some articles point to war profiteering by others.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...158-story.html
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article...ew-ones-today/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-sr...nazicars30.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksw...p#1937_to_1945

You would be surprised to see some brands in this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._the_Holocaust
https://www.businessinsider.in/retai...w/70775812.cms

What about the favorite staple Japanese cars seen so frequently in some wars since the 80's. There were even enquires on how those vehicles fell in the wrong hands

https://abcnews.go.com/International...ry?id=34266539
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Glob...y-investigates

Owing to its durability and reliability, the Land Cruiser, along with the smaller Toyota Hilux, has become popular among militant groups in war-torn regions. U.S. counter-terror officials enquired of Toyota how the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant had apparently acquired large numbers of Toyota Land Cruisers and Hiluxes. Mark Wallace, the CEO of the Counter Extremism Project said, "Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively become almost part of the ISIS brand."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota...ilitary_forces

In the end I don't think most people think about the country of origin that much. They go for what they can afford with after sales services and resale value. Here's an interesting quiz I found online. The Hummer, EcoSport & Benz are easy, what about the rest ?

[reppy]

Answering to OP: I do. I did not buy the Hector for the Chinese wolf in Brit sheep clothing that it is.

However, Volvo, like JLR - is still true to its roots. The owners pass hands, that's all.

[GTO]

I don't think anyone would buy or reject a car simply because it is Japanese or Korean or French. Here, I think the individual brands & products would be the sole influencers. However:

- Indian? Yep. Many would buy it because of patriotism & pride, and a few would reject them too (expectation of niggles or problems or image or brand perception).

- Chinese cars have been hit by events of the past year. It's a fact that many Indians won't touch a Chinese brand today. Our government has been pretty vocal about its anti-China stance, even in the business world.

- German: Favourable for most people as German cars are associated with build, safety, driving dynamics and premium'ness.

At the end of it though, give the market a killer product at the right price and it will sell. Examples are too many to list (XUV500, Thar, Duster, EcoSport, Creta / Seltos, Triber, Altroz etc.).

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by reppy

Answering to OP: I do. I did not buy the Hector for the Chinese wolf in Brit sheep clothing that it is.

However, Volvo, like JLR - is still true to its roots. The owners pass hands, that's all.

Things aren't the way it seems from the outside.

Once the ownership changes, there is no guarantee as such. Many Volvo , Jaguar, Landrover branded vehicles were based on Ford platforms, engines as ford owned them earlier. Roots, I doubt if they exist anymore - Just how much of Rolls Royce or Mini or Bentley is British is anyone`s guess.

It can happen in reverse as well, The Harrier \ Safari is based on old discovery sport platform now used by Tata. With engine from fiat and gearbox from Hyundai. Its hard to figure out the origin these days.

What we customers can ask for is this.

Regardless of origin - Make the damn thing in India - All of it or as much of it as possible. 90% Made in India or increase taxes on such vehicles.

[Researcher]

For me, as long as the product is good, after-sales offered is acceptable and there are no big deal breakers, I usually do not check the country of origin, but most of my choices may be Japanese as I prefer reliability due to my travel needs.

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Even if you look at the Indian market, there are people who strongly believe in “make in India”, “vocal for local” and actually prefer to put their money on a domestic product. You can see Tata using “vocal for local” in their ads in a subtle manner and some of their dealers use this slogan in a far more vocal manner

I was going through the Hexa review a few days back when I stumbled upon this post (Tata Hexa : Official Review) and below image:



The Harrier has its automatic gearbox from Hyundai (Korean) and sunroof from China ("Be Vocal for Local" and its impact on the sales of Indian car manufacturers). If I recall correctly, I have seen a few electronic components in my friends' Zest and Tigor that were made in China. The XUV500 (Mahindra XUV500 Diesel Automatic : Official Review) and Thar have Aisin automatics imported from Japan. Even Maruti is dependent on Aisin for the torque converters and Jatco for their CVTs (both Kizashi and Baleno). I will not be surprised if Maruti has higher local content than Tata and Mahindra. So it is more of 'assemble in India' and 'vocal for local assembly' for me now .

Edit: It will really help prospective buyers if somehow the percentage of localisation is mentioned in the brochures, bringing out the real truth behind each car.