TRB Pubsindex
Text Size:

Title:

Motorized Vehicle Purchase in Surat, India

Accession Number:

01363062

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States
Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/168618.aspx

Find a library where document is available


Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309263153

Abstract:

As India’s economy grows, so does its rate of car ownership. Motorized two-wheelers had been the prevalent mode of personal transport in the country. With improving economic conditions, more households are buying and using cars, and large cars are being introduced in a market that consisted primarily of small cars. This study assessed the trends in the future composition of motorized vehicles in the Indian city of Surat by analyzing a cross section of consumer purchases across used and new motorized vehicles, namely, two-wheelers and different size categories of cars. The findings have potential use in informing policies on infrastructure development and in controlling the negative externalities of car use. Data were obtained through home interview surveys of Surat residents who had recently purchased a motorized vehicle. To explain the vehicle choices of these residents, different observed attributes of the vehicles and their owners were considered. It was hypothesized that latent attributes (e.g., careful spender behavior, perception of status, and negative image of nonmotorized and public modes) may play an important role in the choice of personal vehicles, which are prohibitively expensive in India. To test this hypothesis, latent attributes were obtained as explanatory variables through factor analysis of responses to Likert scale questions pertaining to such attitudes and incorporated into the model. An integrated choice and latent variable model was used for this analysis. The results indicate that while household size does affect the size of vehicle purchased, small vehicles, in addition to lower fuel costs and larger engines, are generally preferred. The results further indicate that observed variables are more significant than latent ones in explaining vehicle choice.

Monograph Title:

Developing Countries 2012

Monograph Accession #:

01474120

Report/Paper Numbers:

12-4606

Language:

English

Authors:

Banerjee, Ipsita
Kanafani, Adib
Walker, Joan L

Pagination:

pp 24–31

Publication Date:

2012

Serial:

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Issue Number: 2317
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISSN: 0361-1981

ISBN:

9780309263153

Media Type:

Print

Features:

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Geographic Terms:

Subject Areas:

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; Vehicles and Equipment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I90: Vehicles

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Feb 8 2012 5:25PM

More Articles from this Serial Issue: