Industries

Automotive

The affluent buyer was never only buying the car. We measure the ecosystem around it - charging, software, service, subscription - and what a premium buyer will genuinely pay for.

The affluent buyer’s interest is not only in the car. They are also investing in the marque, the welcome they receive, and the relationship continuing long after the sale. Most of that experience now happens beyond the car itself. The delivery experience, customer interaction, and resale all the touchpoints are evaluated before finalizing a luxury purchase. The product may be perfect but the brand may still lose the customer at any moment around it. Focusing on the isolated parts of the transaction or product like the traditional volume-market approaches are not enough we have to look at the entire journey. Our luxury automotive market research examines the full relationship, beginning from the initial consideration all the way to resale, using tailored luxury automotive research conducted directly with your buyers and target segments.

Our solutions for this industry

Custom studies, fielded once, exclusive to one client. Each carries the same four parts: the opening line, the idea, what we do, and why it matters to you.

These are custom research engagements. They are not drawn from a syndicated panel, they are not resold, and the findings belong to the sponsoring client alone.

Solution

EV Ownership Ecosystem Study

A luxury EV owner’s loyalty is won or lost not only with the car but with the experience that follows it.

Custom engagement. Fielded once, exclusive to one client, never syndicated or resold.

The idea

A luxury electric vehicle is not only purchased but it is lived with every single day, be it at the home charge, the effortlessly functioning app, or the concierge call that ought to recognize the owner immediately. The car is just a small part of the whole car buying ecosystem, and it’s within that ecosystem where loyalty is earned or quietly lost. Our luxury EV ownership ecosystem research helps to capture the whole experience.

What we do

We conduct diary studies, in-home, in-car interviews with existing EV owners, internal combustion engine drivers thinking of switching to an EV, and multi-vehicle households covering and unearthing the nuances that traditional surveys miss. By conducting choice-based surveys we pinpoint which parts of the ecosystem truly influence the consideration and satisfaction levels of the EV owners, ranging from home-charging design, public and hotel charging included in the full EV charging ecosystem study, along with EV app and software satisfaction research that assesses the digital experience. Using this we gauge the ecosystem completeness using scores tailored to your brand, to ensure that you focus on two or three areas which have the most impact.

Why it matters to you. An affluent EV owner experience study helps to save on resources because it ensures that you focus on areas that real buyers have already pinpointed to have the most impact. It enhances the precision of the work done by ensuring everything is right before the charging network, the residuals, and the concierge model are set in stone.

Solution

Software-Defined Vehicle Value & Privacy Study

Once buyer has already paid full price for the car, his openness to monthly payments hinges on what you’re asking for.

Custom engagement. Fielded once, exclusive to one client, never syndicated or resold.

The idea

As the car evolves into a full software platform the shift from standard features to subscription model begins. For somebody who has already paid a premium for the product, this change may not be easy. If handled well a long-lasting, recurring relationship is established. If not, you spark a backlash that can shadow the brand for years to come.

What we do

We use MaxDiff scaling to test the driver assistance and in-car intelligence to connectivity, performance, and autonomy to ascertain what the buyers actually value.
Through software-defined vehicle value and subscription research, we run a pricing model which helps to identify a buyer’s real willingness to pay for over-the-air upgrades, distinguishing what a buyer is open to leasing from what they insist on owning outright.
And with our in-car data privacy and AI trust research, we check the comfort levels with in-car intelligence by generation and ownership type, aided by direct owner interviews to know what data they are willing to share and what they are not comfortable with.

Why it matters to you. Software-defined vehicle research helps you know which feature is eligible for a subscription model and which feature will only invite backlash for the brand.

Experience Economy 2.0 - core findings for this industry

Drawn from Wave 1 of the Experience Economy 2.0 series: 500 verified HNWI and UHNWI respondents across six markets. Below, the findings specific to this industry.

Buyers reward how the car is made
Superior quality and performance ranks highest among luxury-auto buyers (+0.38), with craftsmanship close behind (+0.25); both sit at the top of the list and ahead of every signaling attribute. For this buyer, the build - engineering, finish, how well the car is made - carries more weight than anything else. Craftsmanship ranking this high is worth noting in a category long sold on performance specs, and, as electric powertrains converge, it raises something we’ll be watching in later waves: whether craft becomes the main ground of differentiation once raw performance is broadly shared.
What this might suggest for brands. Engineering and build substance are firmer ground than image, and the cabin and the craft may be where differentiation holds as performance levels out.
Wave 1 500 verified HNWI and UHNWI respondents across six markets
Scarcity and status sit at the bottom
The attributes luxury-auto buyers prioritize least are manufactured exclusivity and overt signaling. Limited availability or exclusivity ranks at the very bottom (-0.38), with exclusive access and status-signaling also among the lowest. This is not a sign that buyers dislike exclusivity. At this level it is a given rather than a selling point, but it is not what draws them to a choice. The scarcity-driven, allocation-based strategy that succeeds at the elite tier of the market holds far less sway with mainstream luxury-auto buyers, who are ultimately judging the merits of the car itself.
What this might suggest for brands. Scarcity and status cues are weak as a lead message here. There may be more to gain by leading with substance and keeping exclusivity as a quiet condition rather than the headline.
Wave 1 500 verified HNWI and UHNWI respondents across six markets
Brand still matters, as a promise about the machine
Strong brand reputation and prestige holds clear positive value (+0.17), among the higher-ranked attributes after quality and craftsmanship. Read alongside the weight buyers place on build and the low priority they give status cues, the prestige that carries here looks less like badge value and more like trust that the engineering will deliver. The marque serves as shorthand for “this brand builds it right.”
What this might suggest for brands. Brand equity is worth defending, tied to engineering credibility rather than blatant lifestyle imagery.
Wave 1 500 verified HNWI and UHNWI respondents across six markets

See the Full Research Series

Why you should partner with us

We Cover the Whole Ownership Journey
Through our EV ownership experience research we cover the entire journey from purchasing a car all the way to resale. Unlike other programs, ours doesn’t just stop at handover, because that is exactly where a luxury relationship begins to face its real tests.
We Reach Real Luxury Buyers
We recruit not only on the basis of self-reported interests, but by verifying actual ownership and wealth records. You hear insights from real buyers and not just a sample of buyers adjusted to look like them.
We Hear From the Owners You Lost
We speak with owners who moved to a rival marque and buyers who shortlisted you but chose someone else. Loyal owners tell you what is working. The ones who left tell you what to fix.
We Read Every Market on Its Own Terms
A buyer in Shanghai, Dubai, Munich and Los Angeles may want the same car for very different reasons. We field market by market, so a global strategy is built on local evidence rather than an average that fits no one.