Innovation, Brand Image, Green Product Awareness, and Trust Effects on Electric Vehicle Purchase Intention

Abstrak

Purpose: This study examines the influence of innovation, brand image, and green product awareness on consumer trust and purchase interest in electric vehicles, and tests trust as an intervening variable linking these marketing factors to purchase
interest.

Methodology: A quantitative causal research design was applied to 135 electric vehicle users in Surabaya, Indonesia, selected through a total sampling technique. Data were collected via an online
structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) in SmartPLS.

Results: Innovation and green product awareness significantly and positively affect both trust and purchase interest, whereas brand image does not significantly affect trust but does significantly
affect purchase interest directly. Trust significantly and positively affects purchase interest. Mediation analysis shows that innovation and brand image do not significantly influence purchase interest through trust, whereas green product awareness significantly influences purchase interest through trust.

Conclusions: Green product awareness is the strongest and most consistent driver of both trust and purchase interest, operating through both direct and trust-mediated pathways, while innovation and brand image influence purchase interest primarily through direct rather than trust-mediated channels.

Limitations: The single-city, cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported survey data limit causal inference and generalizability beyond the Surabaya electric-vehicle market.

Contributions: The study extends green-marketing and technology-adoption theory by jointly modeling innovation, brand image, and green awareness with trust as a parallel mediator, offering practical guidance for electric-vehicle manufacturers and policymakers seeking to accelerate consumer adoption in emerging automotive markets.