Car Clinic

Car Clinic is a market research tool for the automotive industry .

At a car clinic, test vehicles are presented to the test persons in a test studio ("in-hall") or on a closed test track together with the corresponding competition vehicles. The test vehicle is usually a prototype worked out down to the last detail that does not differ from the planned, ready-to-sell vehicle.

The car clinics are usually not carried out by the vehicle manufacturer themselves, but by specialized market research companies. After the vehicles have been presented, detailed interviews are held with the test subjects. Are examined u. a. the image and acceptance of new vehicle models in terms of design , materials or perceived quality as well as the buying motives of the target group, as in the case of testing (dynamic tests) to evaluate the handling characteristics.

Since the tests are often carried out long before the market launch, the test subjects are obliged to maintain confidentiality. Often the vehicles are masked, i.e. H. individual components such as B. the bonnet are alienated to minimize the risk of usable photos (see Erlkönig ).

At Car Interior Clinics z. B. the interior design or various accessory components assessed.

Virtual car clinics have been offered since 2010. Study participants are shown models and details using different visualization techniques (including 3D, Flash, films). The strengths of this approach are the lower costs, feasibility as an online survey and the better regional distribution of participants compared to classic central-location approaches. This approach is not an alternative for research objectives such as assessing smell or haptic properties.

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• Werner Pepels (2008): Market research - organization and practical application [1]