Consumer attitudes of country-of-origin : Japanese transplant vehicles and the Buy American campaign in the U.S. auto industry

The purpose of this study was to determine consumer attitudes toward defining what are American made vehicles, Japanese transplants and if country-of-origin was a significant attribute in purchase decision making. Previous research in the apparel industry on country-of-origin and the Buy American campaign was used as a framework to extend the research to the product category of vehicles. A written survey was developed to gather consumer attitudes toward country-of-origin and encouraging foreign investment. The attitudes were then analyzed against demographic, psychographic and lifestyle variables to determine if significant relationships existed. The surveys were personally distributed to consumers at two quick oil retail stores as they waited for their vehicles to be serviced. One hundred and fifty-three usable surveys were gathered, with a response rate of 95.5%. The results indicated that country-of-origin was the least important attribute in purchase decision making for vehicles. This research contradicts previous research findings reported for the garment industry. Furthermore, demographic, psychographic and lifestyle variables were significant factors toward encouraging foreign investment. employment, purchase intentions, and current ownership. These findings are from initial research on vehicles, further research is needed to determine if the product category under consideration influences consumer attitudes.