The country of origin: A brake or an accelerator when buying a car

This research aims to analyse the perception of the country of origin effect on the choice of a future car by the holders of a driving license, which are already possessing a car at the present moment. To solve the research problem, we can say that the results of this study would aim to answer the following questions: To what extent is the car’s brand country of origin and manufacturing country known by its owners? Is there a relationship between the perceived car’s brand country of origin image and its perceived quality? Are the brand’s country of origin and the country of manufacture factors influencing the decision to purchase a car? Is there a connection between the perceived reliability of a car and the perception related to the country of its origin? To respond to these questions, a street survey on 100 subjects (50 men and 50 women) from Iasi, aged between 18 and 65, having a driving license and a personal car was conceived. The sampling method is random, the study being exploratory. The results can be used to issue a series of assumptions about the country of origin effect on the decision to purchase new cars and other goods.