From Horsepower to Heartbreak: Are Automakers Losing Their Grip on Consumer Intimacy?

For much of our 15 years studying Brand intimacy, the automotive industry has been a perennial powerhouse. Cars have long been more than machines: they have been extensions of self, rolling symbols of identity, freedom, and self-expression. Automakers’ Brand Intimacy performance has excelled in the archetypes of identity (reflecting an aspirational image or admired values and beliefs) and indulgence (moments of pampering and pleasure). To own a specific car has been to project and indulge in a set of values and a lifestyle.

But in 2025, that bond is under strain. Changing demographics, electrification, ride-sharing, and global competition have all started to dilute what once made automotive brands magnetic. The question that now looms is whether legacy brands can regain their relevance, and whether the flood of new EV entrants can ever establish deep and enduring connections.

The shift is stark. Once cultural icons, automakers today face sameness across different brands. The industry still ranks near the top, but our 2025 Brand Intimacy Study shows emotional connections are weakening. The industry’s Brand Intimacy Quotient (BIQ) fell from 46.05 in our previous study to 32.4 in this year’s study. The industry’s performance in archetypes tied to self-expression and gratification also declined: the identity archetype dropped from 32.26 to 27, and the indulgence archetype fell from 31.18 to 28. These shifts signal that cars are starting to become less about personal expression and pleasure than in the past. Meanwhile, demographic shifts, commodification, and EVs are evolving the landscape. Younger audiences are increasingly favoring the convenience of ride-sharing. EVs, although technologically impressive, often seem interchangeable. The hum of horsepower has given way to silence, with simulated engine sounds and clutches attempting to fill the sensory void.

EVs from China are flooding the market, forcing global competition on affordability and scale. Chinese automakers now represent over 50% of global EV sales, reshaping global market shares¹. Startups like Tesla, Rivian, Polestar, Scout, and Slate have expanded choice but also fragmented loyalty. Legacy players like Kia, Hyundai, BMW, Ford, and Chevy straddle multiple realities, offering EVs, hybrids, and combustion engines to appeal to diverse audiences.

Geopolitics adds more turbulence. The current US administration has announced a 25% tariff on all cars built outside the United States², a move that wreaks havoc on North American manufacturing, where supply chains crisscross borders dozens of times. Exporters are absorbing costs or scrambling to localize production. Even labor stability is shaky, as recent raids on Hyundai suppliers cast a harsh spotlight on labor capacity and compliance.

Despite headwinds, automotive manufacturing remains a formidable force in Brand Intimacy. It advanced to the third spot in our rankings, rising from fourth place in our previous study and outperforming the cross-industry average by a meaningful margin.

• Honda emerges as a standout, ranking #1 in the industry and performing highest in the fulfillment archetype (45), while also showing the greatest percentage of users in the fusing stage. Toyota and Infiniti also excel in fulfillment, underscoring how reliability and effective service continue to cement bonds. Post purchase experiences still matter deeply.
• Autonomous driving, although imperfect, has already delivered perceived advantages in parking, commuting, and traffic navigation—proof that innovation can still enhance intimacy when it is grounded in utility. There were nearly 17,000 autonomous-capable vehicles in 2022, a figure that is projected to expand to 127,000 by 2030, highlighting rapid growth³.
• Rivalries still fuel passion. The Ford vs. Chevy battle remains alive and well, keeping brand partisanship relevant.

Automakers prove that when they connect, they connect deeply, but the challenge seems to be consistency. 

But for every win, there’s heartbreak:

• Tesla, once a darling of our study and ranked #2, has plummeted to 41st position in our 2025 results. The brand still leads in the enhancement archetype (making users feel smarter, more capable), but Elon Musk’s controversies have torched goodwill, underscoring how leadership behavior can damage Brand Intimacy. Tesla now sits much lower within the automotive industry, in 7th place.
• EVs in general risk blandification: a flattening of experience into sterile, quiet, and tech-heavy but emotion-light vehicles. Attempts at fake sensory thrills highlight the struggle to recreate joy in an electrified age.
• In the U.S., policy swings between pro-EV mandates and retrenchments toward ICE vehicles may be confusing consumers making high-stakes purchase decisions. Is the future electric, hybrid, or a nostalgic return to gas? This lack of clarity undermines trust.

Differences between buyers across generations reveal challenges:

• Younger, affluent buyers, especially those in Asia, demand digital integration and AI-driven experiences⁴, expecting cars to function as extensions of their connected lives.
• Boomers, meanwhile, are indulging in a last gasp of nostalgia⁵: horsepower, rumbling engines, and carbon-burning bravado. They’re clinging to the soundtracks of their youth, even as regulations close in.
• Prestige still has power. The arrival of new Cadillacs, luxury BMWs, and reinvented Fords signals how heritage and halo branding can amplify relevance, even in a disrupted marketplace. Yet prestige isn’t bulletproof: Mercedes-Benz and Lexus both underperformed this year, underscoring how even heritage luxury players risk erosion while mass-market brands like Ford, Dodge, and Hyundai seize momentum.
• VW and the Rivian’s partnership underscores how legacy and disruptor brands can mitigate risk and share resources and technology.

Automakers stand at a crossroads. Newer products, especially EVs, are objectively exceptional. Performance, efficiency, and features have never been stronger. But great products don’t guarantee enduring brands. Without creating stronger emotional bonds, even the most advanced vehicles risk becoming commodities in a crowded showroom.
 
Brand intimacy offers both a destination and a safety net. Rekindling emotional connections is key to success in an industry where differentiation is eroding. The Brand Intimacy archetypes reveal a roadmap and patterns that should be leveraged; for example, Honda outperforms competitors in the fulfillment archetype, Acura pulls forward in identity, and Mercedes-Benz continues to lead in enhancement. Hyundai excels in ritual, while Buick dominates nostalgia. These varied strengths suggest automakers must lean into their distinct emotional triggers rather than chase sameness.
 
The challenge is clear: the automotive industry can either rediscover how to make our hearts race or risk becoming another tech utility, as forgettable as the next app.

The automotive industry once symbolized freedom and identity. Today, it teeters between innovation and irrelevance, between horsepower and heartbreak.
 
As the world hurtles toward electrification and AI-driven mobility, automakers must answer a simple but profound question: will cars continue to move us emotionally—or just physically?
 
In 2025, the race is no longer about who builds the fastest or smartest vehicle. It’s about which automakers can still stir elusive and visceral feelings within our hearts.

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¹ Electrek. (2025, August 29). Electric vehicles reach tipping point as China surges to 51% market share. Retrieved from https://electrek.co/2025/08/29/electric-vehicles-reach-tipping-point-china-surge-51-market-share/

² Kelley Blue Book. (2025). Tariffs and the auto industry. Retrieved from https://www.kbb.com/tariffs/

³ Statista. (2024). Projected number of autonomous vehicles worldwide from 2022 to 2030. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1230664/projected-number-autonomous-cars-worldwide/

⁴ City News Service. (2025, February 20). Chinese buyers rewriting domestic auto market. City News Service. https://www.citynewsservice.cn/news/Chinese-buyers-rewriting-domestic-auto-market-4kbwr7qk

⁵ Capparella, J. (2024, June 25). Gen X, millennials buy the most EVs as boomers dominate policy. Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1142592_gen-x-millennials-buy-the-most-evs-as-boomers-dominate-policy