EuroEconomica, Vol 27, No 1 (2011)

Abstract

 This paper aims to make an analysis of passenger car customer behavior with
an  emphasis  on  the  adoption  of  low-carbon  and  fuel  efficient  vehicles,  based  on  the
research existing on the subject. As literature shows, consumer behavior is influenced
by  instrumental  factors  as  well  as  affective  and  symbolic  ones.  The  affective  and
symbolic factors are not so large researched in the literature in the field. Moreover, the
instrumental factors are easiest to tackle by the public authorities in their will to make
consumer behavior more environmental responsible. But most of these policies fail to
succeed  in a  large  scale  because  the  symbolic  and  affective  factors  are  not  took  into
account. In this paper we analyse the main ideas existing in the academic literature on
the study of the consumer behavior for passenger cars and highlight the role of the car
in  the  consumers’  mind  and  what  blocks  adopting  environmental  friendly  cars.  This
article is among the firsts to approach this important field of using the influence factors
of passenger car consumer behavior in the environmental and public policies.