First-time buyers prioritize 'budget and safety,' while repeat buyers focus on 'brand and performance'… How they purchased imported cars

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Korea Automobile Importers Association (KAIDA) released the results of its "Imported Car Purchase Journey Exploration Survey," conducted among 2,200 men and women aged 25 to 59 who had purchased or considered purchasing an imported car within the past three years. According to the survey results, criteria for selecting imported cars and information-seeking methods showed clear differences depending on purchase experience, vehicle price range, and vehicle class.

By respondent type, repeat buyers prioritized brand (33.8%) during the consideration stage and ultimately chose driving performance and technology (42.7%). In contrast, first-time buyers first examined their budget range (41.5%) and ultimately emphasized safety and quality (40.3%). The group that only considered purchasing showed a high proportion of economic factors such as fuel efficiency and maintenance costs (36.3%), along with high utilization rates for financial and quote comparisons (56.9%) and AI-based searches (29.6%). Across all groups, the rate of showroom visits and test drive experiences was the highest.

By price range, economic factors (42.8%) were the top final decision factor for vehicles under 50 million won, while safety and quality (42.5%) ranked first for vehicles in the 50th million to 70 million won range. Conversely, driving performance and technology ranked first across all segments for vehicles priced at 70 million won or more (70 million to 100 million, 100 million to 150 million, and over 150 million), with the proportion considering brand image and status increasing as prices rose. YouTube channels had the highest usage rate in the 50th million to 70 million won segment (68.8%), while price comparison and quote sites were most used in the segment of 150 million won or more (43.9%).

By vehicle class, compact and mid-size sedans emphasized design (44.4%), while mid-size and large sedans prioritized driving performance and technology (44.1%). For SUVs, safety and quality ranked first for both compact/mid-size (40.7%) and mid-size/large (45.2%) segments, while economic factors were highest for pickups and minivans (46.8%).

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original