Values

We started our research by defining the word “roadster”. It apparently applied first to horses that
were suitable for riding on roads, and afterwards it was applied to light carriages and certain
types of bicycles. Back in 1916, the Society of Automotive Engineers decreed that a roadster was
"an open car seating two or three. It may have additional seats on running boards or in rear
deck."

The word evolved to mean the kind of open European sports cars that became popular after
World War II, cars with tops that had to be assembled, side curtains and cut-down doors.

It is well known that roadsters are specially designed for those who have a passion for cars and
are willing to allocate a separate budget for this.

Positioning

Our positioning is heavily influenced by both the research we have done concerning the needs of
our consumers and the current offerings of our competitors.

The data presents a young, low-earning, but willing consumer that is concerned about his or her
perceived status.

While BMW and Mercedes dominate the luxury roadster market, Mazda offers an affordable
alternative.

Given these facts, Panvla ought to become the direct competition of Mazda, undergoing a more-
for-less strategy in order to successfully penetrate the market.

1. Competitors and the positioning of their brand

Mazda MX-5 (4th generation) - 26.790 €

It is considered to be one of the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history and
globally its production exceeded one million pieces. It is also known as “miata”, which derives
from old german term for "reward”. Their strategy reflects in how Mazda managed to position its
product on the market at a global level. In this sense, their philosophy is “how to keep customers
coming back to Mazda”. Consequently, throughout the years, Mazda managed to create a strong
base of faithful customers who are brought together by both the product characteristics and their
passion for cars.
In Romania, the same concept was highlighted by the event that took place on Transalpina. The
event that already had three editions in Romania, gathered passionate drivers that owned Mazdas
and has been immortalized at the end of DN66A in the Iar Valley.

The 4th generation of Miatas are equipped with the G184 1.5L engine which can develop up to
184HP and reaches a top speed of 220km/h.

BMW Z4 (6th generation) – 63.645 €

BMW has a long standing tradition when it comes to sports cars and their roadster portfolio is
worthy of this legacy. The 6th generation of the Z series boasts about its elegance and agility.

The Z4 has a 3.0L M40i engine capable of 382HP and reaching 100 km/h in 5 seconds.

Mercedes-Benz SLC – 40.814 €

Mercedes has always been about luxury vehicles so you can expect the SLC to rise to a certain
standard.

This Mercedes is equped with a 2.0L engine of 190HP and a convertible hard-top the company
takes pride in that it takes only 20 seconds to take down.

2. Target market

The target market’s specificities for our type of product include the following personality traits:

 inner-oriented people;
 low self-monitoring individuals;
 consumers with low need for cognition;
 people characterized by low dogmatism.

I. Inner-oriented people tend to prefer ads that focus on the product features and its
benefits rather than social acceptance or the environment. Since roadsters mainly appeal
to people who have a passion for driving, we focused on developing a product that
complies with customers’ expectations and also provides good quality for an affordable
price.

II. In terms of self-monitoring, we imagined a product that would imply a low self
monitoring customer, one who is less preoccupied about environment, but rather seeks a
product that offers functionality over style.

2
III. Regarding the need for cognition, it refers to an individual’s tendency to desire, engage
in end enjoy effortful cognition. In this sense, our product will appeal to consumers whi
are high in need for cognition, which means consumers who are more responsive to the
part of the advertisement which is rich in product related information.

IV. Consumer dogmatism measures the degree of rigidity people display towards the
unfamiliar. In this sense, we developed a product that would appeal to our consumers
who are low-dogmatic ones, namely more receptive to messages that stress product
benefits and factual differences.