What Makes ICV Truck Buyers Choose One Brand Over Another?
Customer Survey – Selection Parameters for ICV Trucks
Objective
The main objective of the study was to understand the regional differences, brand perceptions, product performance perceptions, and customer purchase drivers for ICV trucks in Bengaluru, Chennai, and North India. Also, the study aimed to identify the factors which influence brand acceptance and to provide recommendations for enhancing product positioning, dealer effectiveness, service support, and market development.
Business Challenge
Product adoption varied significantly by geography. The challenge is regarding spare-parts availability, service coverage, dealer confidence, costing, and competitor performance which restricts the endorsement in some regions. The business needed to understand why a product that performed well in some markets faced resistance in others and identify region-specific actions to improve acceptance.
How We Did It
We conducted face-to-face interviews with 251 ICV truck owners across NCR, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Chennai, using a stratified homogeneous-group approach combined with random sampling to represent different customer and usage profiles. Respondents included fleet owners, individual owners, first-time buyers, and replacement/upgrade customers across construction, e-commerce, FMCG, market load and other commercial applications. We pulled respondents from both in-house and external databases, then used primary research to get detailed perspectives across competing ICV brands. The survey used Likert scales and multi-rating metrics to systematically measure brand image, performance, pickup, mileage, pricing, cabin comfort, maintenance, service network, parts availability, resale value, reliability and other decision drivers. We also looked at pre-purchase considerations, post-purchase experience, brand comparisons, next-purchase preferences, replacement triggers, usage patterns and pain points across regions and owner types. Data was captured digitally via 6WSurveyIQ/Kobo and stored in SQL for structured processing, with Power BI handling visualization and dashboarding and Python doing the statistical analysis and segmentation. Cross-tabbing by region and brand let us compare customer groups and competing vehicles directly, surfacing both strengths and barriers affecting consideration and future purchase intent. Altogether, this combined structured primary research with quantitative measurement and segmentation to turn customer responses into real, actionable insight on product, brand, pricing, service and ownership experience.
Key Findings
- Product perception was stronger in South India.
- Spare-parts availability and service coverage were important concerns in Northern markets.
- Brand image, mileage, performance and safety had different importance across customer segments.
- Dealer reluctance affected market potential.
- Customers in different regions evaluated competing brands using different decision criteria.
- Service accessibility and parts availability strongly influenced confidence.
Findings
Where a customer is located clearly shapes what they prioritize. In South India — Bengaluru and Chennai especially — the brand had a real edge on image, performance, pickup, cabin comfort, maintenance and service network. Customers described it as a solidly built vehicle with a comfortable cabin and good looks, and factors like mileage and service availability also fed into the decision. That's a strong foundation for deeper penetration in southern markets. Usage patterns mattered too — e-commerce and market-load applications came up as important segments — and looking ahead, performance, comfort, reliability and tech features are all likely to shape repeat purchases and brand loyalty.
Northern markets tell a different story. Product performance and pricing mattered, but what really hurt consideration were worries about spare-parts availability, service delays, and general trust in the product. Competitors here had the edge on perceived spare-parts access, resale value, and service support. The real issue wasn't awareness — it was whether customers believed the ownership experience and post-purchase support would hold up. Dealer engagement was also weak; several customers said the product was never actively pitched to them during their buying journey. So a single national strategy won't cut it — Southern markets need stronger positioning and performance messaging, while the North needs focused work on service reliability, parts availability, dealer engagement, and rebuilding trust. Nationally, better dealership and service coverage, improved parts access, and more consistent feedback loops would go a long way.
Business Impact
Perception, service experience, and spares availability all vary noticeably by region, which gives a real foundation for building region-specific strategy. Acceptance is the most stronger in the South. While, service gaps in North India are shaping how we plan dealer development, spares stocking, and service upgrades there.
