1. Demonstrate comprehension of core marketing concepts.

2. Apply knowledge of key marketing theoretical frameworks to actual business situations.

3. Demonstrate business/market research, analysis, and presentation skills.

This activity focuses on Karma Automotive. "Karma Automotive, founded in 2014, is a southern California based producer of luxury electric vehicles. Headquartered in Irvine, California with a production facility located in Moreno Valley, Karma sells vehicles via its dealer network in North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East." (Source: Karma Automotive) Related URLs:

1. Karma Automotive

2. EV Sales Data-I - International Energy Agency (IEA)

3. EV Sales Data -II

4. Green Car Reports Article

5. Car and Driver Article on Best Selling EVs In addition to the above URLs, you must conduct additional research to develop a deeper understanding of the trends in the electric vehicle industry. Use additional research to support your answers for each of the questions listed below. There are plenty of free sources on the web and in the university library, therefore, please don't pay for any data/information. If a site asks for subscription or pay-per-read, please use an alternative source.

Q.1. (a) Review the segmentation approaches listed in Figure 1 and identify which segmentation approach(es) make the most sense for Karma and why. Use research/data to support your answer.

Figure 1:

Segmentation Approaches

Geographic segmentation

Psychographic segmentation

Demographic segmentation

Behavioral segmentation

(b) Using segmentation approaches listed in Figure 1, develop a customer profile for Karma Automotive's vehicles.

Hint: It is not sufficient to simply identify an age group (demographic) or personal/social interests (psychographic), rather you must fully develop the customer profile. The idea behind developing a customer profile is to help marketers understand the total addressable as well as serviceable market. For instance, one potential segment/group interested in buying a smart/connected HVAC thermostat could be individuals who own a single family home and have the following additional traits/characteristics:

housing structure they live in has central heating and air-conditioning

house they live in has Internet access

house that is X-many square feet thereby needing lot of energy consumption

live in areas with higher utility expenditures or extreme temperatures

makes X-amount of income/year

interested in eco-friendly products or is environmentally conscious

has some level of interest in home automation, etc.

also provide references to support all answers