买家对豪华车体验的看法

Automotive & Assembly PracticeShifting gears: What buyers are saying about the luxury-carexperience How does the reality of owning a luxury car match the dream? A newMcKinsey survey sheds light on buyers’ priorities, current experiences,and future expectations. by Michele Bertoncello, Patrick Hertzke, and Simon Middleton Luxury cars,defined as those valued at over$150,000, account for a small portion of vehiclessold but loom large in drivers’ imaginations. Themost famous brands have instantly recognizable,iconic designs that set future trends; they alsoprovide superior performance that commands asignificant price premium. The strong appeal ofthese vehicles can significantly boost a company’svaluation and enhance its ability to offer other luxuryproducts and experiences. Moreover, the luxurysegment appears to hold a greater profitabilitypotential for industry players in a global automotivemarket with limited volume growth expectations. customers to select a luxury car and how loyal arethey to brands? And what aspects of the luxury-car ownership experience are most important orfall short of expectations? Given the recent riseof electric vehicles (EVs), we also examined thenuances of this submarket to determine whetherbuyer preferences and habits differed. Overall, wecovered more than 70 critical questions, and someof the major findings are synthesized in this article. One main takeaway: While luxury-car buyersprioritize the driving experience and gain greatenjoyment from it, they also expect their vehiclesto retain, or even increase, in value. Other high-endgoods tend to appreciate, so buyers often viewthis as an inherent characteristic of any luxuryproduct. Sustaining the residual value of a modernluxury car can be challenging, however, becausevehicle technology is constantly becoming moresophisticated. To preserve their appeal, all luxury-car OEMs must address this challenge and developstrategies to enhance residual value. We surveyed and interviewed more than 150 peoplearound the world who had made or were consideringa purchase of a luxury car to learn more about thisinfluential market.1 The respondents representeda wide range of wealth segments, but the vastmajority had annual incomes between $200,000and $1 million. Our focus was on their needsand motivations throughout the entire purchaseand ownership life cycle. What factors prompt While luxury-car buyersprioritize the driving experienceand gain great enjoyment from it, theyalso expect their vehicles to retain, oreven increase, in value. Other high-endgoods tend to appreciate, so buyers oftenview this as an inherent characteristicof any luxury product. Market overview: Cars ofdistinction—and buyerswho want the best A diverse and eclecticcustomer base —performance enthusiasts —personal-status buyers Luxury-car buyers share a love for leading-edge vehicles, but their reasons forpurchasing a high-end brand can vary. Inour survey, we identified four distinct buyerpersonas (Exhibit 1): Each group has different vehicle needs andmotivations that can influence every aspect of thepurchase and ownership journey, including theamount of time spent researching cars, the advisersconsulted when selecting a vehicle, the number ofhours spent driving, and the likelihood of switchingbrands. —collectors/connoisseurs —innovation seekers Exhibit 1Luxury-car buyers fall into four personas. Personas of luxury-car buyers McKinsey & Company The pursuit of perfection and theimportance of heritage A luxury item’s “heritage”—its distinctive andtimeless brand perception—came in close secondto perfection, highlighting the critical importance ofpreserving a brand’s history and designing productsthat can stand the test of time for generations.Companies that want to attract customers who havea passion for vintage luxury items will prioritize theirbrand’s image. When we asked survey respondents what theysought in luxury goods, they most frequentlymentioned the concept of perfection (Exhibit 2). Thisterm connotes a lofty, flawless state of existence,but most respondents said it referred to the highquality of a product’s physical characteristics and itsdurability. Exhibit 2Perfection is the most important attribute for respondents buying luxury Importance of attributes when buying luxury cars,% of respondents (n = 147) McKinsey & Company The importance of customersegmentation their top three priorities, while personal-statusbuyers focused on brand exclusivity, design, andperformance (Exhibit 3). Brands that systematicallycapture and emphasize these preferences in theircustomer interactions are more likely to connect withtheir target buyers. A highly detailed customer segmentation iscritical to understand the market. Traditionally,car manufacturers primarily relied on socio-demographic data, such as age, gender, income,to understand customer preferences. We alsoconsidered personal preferences, purchasemotivations, and preferred features to build fourcustomer pers