Understanding Foreign Automobile Purchase Behaviour: An Empirical Integration of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Signalling Theory

Abstract

Foreign automobile brands in Malaysia face intensifying competition from national brands, yet the drivers of actual foreign automobile purchase behaviour remain insufficiently explained. This empirical paper reports the direct-effect portion of a broader study and examines whether attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, perceived product quality, and brand credibility explain actual purchase behaviour among Malaysian consumers. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Signaling Theory, the study addresses the limitation of intention-based models by focusing on realised behaviour in a high-involvement context. A cross-sectional survey design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to Malaysian consumers who had purchased or owned foreign automobiles, yielding 161 valid responses. Data were analysed using SPSS 28 and SmartPLS 4. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. The structural model showed that all five predictors had positive and significant effects on actual purchase behaviour. Brand credibility, product quality, and attitude emerged as the strongest direct predictors, while perceived behavioural control and subjective norm also made significant contributions. The findings support the continued relevance of TPB in high-cost consumer decisions and show that signaling variables add substantial explanatory value by reducing uncertainty and reinforcing consumer confidence. Practically, the results indicate that foreign automobile marketers in Malaysia should strengthen positive evaluations, social reassurance, purchase manageability, quality perceptions, and brand trust to improve actual market uptake.