Yes this exactly. I feel like so many people expect consumers to act in the way that economists do: making rational, value oriented choices.

In reality, car buyers are making decisions that combine a multitude of factors like driving distance from a dealership, color choices, availability of certain options (e.g. heated seats or a full glass roof).

Take a person trying to buy a midsize sedan for under $35,000 or $XXX/mo. If the Nissan dealer down the street can offer them a blue Altima with ‘snappy handling’ and ‘a nice ride’ for an acceptable price, that will influence them more than a supposed better product value offering of an Accordamry.