Car Shopping Trends 2025: Unveiling Car Buyers' Preferences & Demands
In the ever-evolving automotive market, dealerships are gearing up to meet the demands of modern consumers. According to Deloitte's 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, consumer preferences are shifting towards hyper-personalized experiences, digital-first engagement, proactive service, and a seamless omnichannel buying journey.
The study, which surveyed over 31,000 consumers from 30 countries, highlights several key trends. Consumers seeking hybrid vehicles want vehicles that offer a balance between gasoline and electric power to reduce fuel costs and emissions. Interest in hybrids and range-extender technology is growing among U.S. consumers, with the number of U.S. consumers intending to purchase hybrid vehicles up five percentage points year-over-year, to 26%.
However, when it comes to battery-electric vehicles, most U.S. shoppers plan to charge them at home. This suggests that although consumers want to maximize fuel economy and reduce emissions, they don't want to rely on a charging infrastructure.
Dealers can effectively respond to these trends by leveraging AI and data analytics to unify customer insights, enabling proactive and personalized communications. This could include real-time maintenance reminders and tailored service offers based on vehicle diagnostics. Implementing consistent lead nurturing strategies, such as email drip campaigns, SMS reminders, personalized video messages, and re-engagement efforts, can also help keep prospects engaged over long buying cycles.
Training sales teams on digital-first engagement skills, deep product knowledge (including EVs and advanced driver assistance systems), and customer psychology is crucial to build trust and close more deals effectively. Using AI-powered tools, such as automated follow-ups, CRM systems, and personalized coaching platforms, can help dealers respond instantly to leads, nurture buyers 24/7, and optimize sales performance.
Creating a seamless omnichannel customer journey, from online search to showroom visits and post-sale interactions, is essential. Every touchpoint should be personalized, timely, and relevant, enhancing customer loyalty and increasing repurchase rates.
Ryan Robinson, automotive research leader at Deloitte, emphasizes that dealers' role in cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with existing customers will become increasingly important. Commitment to building strong customer relationships is increasingly important for dealers, with 79% of customers reporting positive experiences as dealers, according to a recent Cox Automotive survey.
As the automotive sales market experiences a rollercoaster ride, dealers who can adapt to these trends and prioritize customer-centric strategies will be better positioned to succeed in the evolving automotive market. By integrating data-driven and customer-centric strategies, dealers can improve customer engagement, differentiate themselves from competitors, boost sales conversion, and foster long-term loyalty.
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