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Electric Vehicles: A Case Study

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1. Introduction
In light of the constant rises in petroleum prices, climate changes and an economy recovering from the effects of the recent economic downturn, consumers have started to reconsider the usage of electric cars (Global EV Outlook, 2013). Electric Vehicles [EV] have been around since the 1830s, yet it is only recently that countries have experienced an increase in their production thus redefining tomorrow’s automobile and transportation industry. This year, the global production of EV is predicted to rise by 67% (IHS, 2014).
1.1 Market Trends
According to the Green Car Guide (2014), top Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) models include the BMW I3, Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf …show more content…

2.2 Consumer

Tesla’s products target forward-thinking customers that are environmentally conscious and economically driven. Nevertheless, due to the different model types, three main consumer segments can be identified:
I. High-end sports car market: Sporty lifestyle with higher-income levels targeting a narrower market
II. Luxury vehicle sedan market: Higher-income individuals interested in more spacious vehicles
III. Mainstream vehicle consumer segment: Middle-income consumer segment interested in the basic

Although three target segments are identified it is important to understand that different customers might have the same need yet different perspective and receptivity levels. It is thus important to have a thorough knowledge of consumers’ behaviours and opinions for a brand like Tesla to succeed.

3. Consumer Behaviour Analysis
This section will focus on how the current target market of Tesla make decisions regarding the purchase of their automobile. In order to better understand the needs of our target customers a survey (see appendix; figures 5-14) was developed; the sample method used was convenience sampling. Due to the lack of resources and time this method was the most appropriate. The main drawback encountered was that the sample was unlikely to be fully representative of our target population, making it difficult to generalise our conclusions. This should be treated as a pilot study; a larger, more

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