What Major Factors Influence Vehicle Type Ownership Including Hybrid Vehicles as Alternatives

A number of researches have been done exploring the vehicle type ownership and factors influencing individuals’ choice. These types of studies have been of great interest for a number of reasons such as economic, social and cultural. The uniqueness of this particular study pertains to the addition of hybrid vehicles as a mode choice type. Hybrid (fuel-efficient) vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among car buyers today more than ever. It is in the best interest of the transportation community that this study includes hybrid vehicles as a choice in vehicle ownership. With the continued increase in gas prices and awareness of environmental concerns, more and more people are at the least considering hybrid vehicles as an option for ownership. Through multinomial regression models, few empirical results show persons who use the interstate during every day (long distance) commute will be more likely to own hybrid vehicles. It is also found that decision makers living in rural areas are more likely to own large hybrid vehicles. There is no statistical significance associated with age or education and owning a hybrid vehicle as initially hypothesized. This project explores the major variables that affect people’s choice for primary vehicle type ownership.