The global automotive industry is at a pivotal crossroads. Valued at over $4.54 trillion in 2025, the sector is projected to reach $7.46 trillion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5.6%. Vehicle sales are projected to reach 89.6 million units in 2025, signaling continued momentum despite ongoing supply chain and economic challenges. Meanwhile, China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market is expected to account for 58% of all passenger vehicle sales this year, highlighting the rapid pace of electrification.
In parallel, the market for connected car technologies has surpassed $103 billion in 2025, underscoring the shift from basic mobility to intelligent, integrated, and personalized experiences.
However, the road ahead is not without obstacles. Automakers grapple with cost pressures, regulatory sustainability demands, and fragmented infrastructure readiness. Consumer trust in autonomous technologies remains uneven, and EV adoption continues to face knowledge and access gaps across emerging markets. In this fast-evolving landscape, success isn’t just about engineering excellence – it’s about listening deeply to consumers and transforming real voices into bold strategic moves.
Listening Beyond Data Points: Where Human Context Drives Strategy
At Markelytics, we don’t just collect data; we decode stories, emotions, and nuanced motivations. We believe automotive market research becomes most powerful when it steps beyond spreadsheets and gets closer to the real reasons people buy, trust, and love brands. Here’s a brief on how we helped a few of our clients lately.
Beyond the Purchase: Understanding Ownership at Its Core
When a global automotive leader aimed to decode ownership dynamics across 10+ countries, they turned to us. Through qualitative research in automotive, we explored not just what people drive, but why. We uncovered emotional triggers surrounding first-time ownership, the impact of cultural perceptions of prestige, and brand loyalty rooted in aftersales trust. Differences between urban and rural ownership patterns revealed distinct resale motivations and practical priorities.
These insights empowered the brand to redesign regional strategies and tap into underserved segments with precision.
EV Adoption isn’t One Size Fits All
A pioneering EV manufacturer approached us to understand consumer EV readiness and adoption barriers in emerging economies. We conducted deep-dive EV consumer research – connecting with early adopters, fence-sitters, and skeptics alike. Insights uncovered deep concerns around charging infrastructure reliability, battery life anxieties, and perceived total cost of ownership.
Armed with these findings, the brand restructured its market entry strategy, invested in local charging networks, and launched education-driven campaigns to demystify EV ownership.
Reimagining Luxury: Beyond Performance to Emotional Resonance
Luxury automotive buyers today seek more than engineering marvels; they crave personal connection, exclusivity, and digital sophistication woven seamlessly into their journey. A leading European marque collaborated with us on immersive in-depth interviews (IDIs) and lifestyle-centered focus groups across Asia and the Middle East. Insights highlighted the power of curated experiences, ultra-personalized services, and narrative-rich brand storytelling.
Leveraging these insights, the brand transformed showrooms into exclusive lifestyle hubs, revamped loyalty programs, and designed service journeys that truly reflect individual values.
Trust and Tech: The Connected Car Balancing Act
The connected car market has soared past $103 billion, yet the rush to integrate technology has introduced a crucial tension: excitement vs. trust. Through vehicle clinic studies and sentiment analysis, we explored reactions to driver-assist systems, advanced app controls, and voice-activated interfaces. While many consumers valued the innovation, they raised concerns about privacy, complexity, and safety.
Our insights guided product roadmap adjustments and pre-launch communications, ensuring features delivered genuine value while building trust.
Capturing Aftermarket Value: The Loyalty Opportunity
The global automotive components and aftermarket sector is expected to exceed $2 trillion by 2025, yet many brands struggle to capture its full potential. A global OEM sought to redesign its aftersales approach. Through detailed usage and attitude studies, we uncovered pain points such as ambiguous pricing, disconnected service experiences, and underperforming loyalty programs.
These insights helped shape simpler service bundles, transparent pricing strategies, and highly relevant loyalty offers — transforming aftersales into a powerful growth engine.
What We Can Do for the Automotive Sector: Your Co-Creation Journey
At Markelytics, we don’t offer generic solutions – we embark on transformative journeys with our clients. It begins with vehicle clinic studies, where raw, authentic reactions to prototypes shape your product vision from day one. As your concept evolves, we refine it through concept testing and automotive brand perception studies, ensuring your narrative resonates globally and locally.
When you’re ready to go to market, our segmentation and usage & attitude studies guide you to the heart of each audience, from luxury buyers seeking emotional value to pragmatic buyers prioritizing durability. Post-launch, we partner to turn customers into lifelong brand champions through deep-dive aftersales analysis and loyalty optimization. All of this is made possible by our global reach, powerful panels, and deep expertise in local fieldwork ensuring every insight is precise, actionable, and future-ready. With Markelytics, every milestone becomes a co-created triumph.
Your Next Move: From Listening to Leading
The future of mobility isn’t simply electric or autonomous; it’s deeply human. It’s about uncovering unspoken aspirations and creating experiences that resonate beyond the road.
At Markelytics, we believe your next big breakthrough starts with a single, powerful act: listening. Are you ready to transform real voices into real impact? Let’s co-create the future of automotive together.