San Diego, California: BMW-branded vehicles led four categories with five vehicles, detailed in Strategic Vision’s annual Most Loved Vehicle™ (MLV) Awards, which examine 121 different vehicle attributes and features measured on a unique scale that captures the “top box” experiences owners Love. The BMW X4, iX (tie), 4-Series (tie), 3-Series, and i7 were all the Most Loved by their owners in their respective categories.
As Strategic Vision’s President Alexander Edwards explains BMW’s success, “BMW models provide owners an experience they Love on the vehicle attributes that matter most. For example, the 3-Series gave younger buyers under the age of 30 the best experiences with Interior Workmanship, Driving Performance, and Front Seat Roominess, all of which are of higher importance to younger buyers. For African American Luxury buyers, the BMW iX and 4-Series Coupe not only tied for first and second place, but the X4 was in third, the X6 in fourth, and the 5-Series Sedan in fifth place!” Edwards concluded, “As consumers have returned to market from the pandemic over this past year, they fell in Love with their Ultimate Driving Machines.”
Strategic Vision is the only global research company that utilizes consumers’ natural language in their comprehensive research which provides a seven-point super-ordinal scale expressing a consumer’s emotional experience about a rational vehicle attribute. Senior Vice President of Strategic Vision, Christopher Chaney, explains the benefits of the Edwards Commitment Scale, “Scales that only measure ‘satisfaction’ will miss the full extent of the consumer experience. No one today will give a loved one a Valentine’s Day card that reads, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day – I am Very Satisfied with you.’ Instead, when someone says they Love a product or experience, you know that the experience will lead to loyalty and advocacy. If you only measure Satisfaction, you will miss future sales.”
Electric Vehicles increasingly provide an overall experience that their owners Love, as highlighted by the Rivian R1T, which ranked above all electric and gas-powered pickups for the second consecutive year. With the BWM iX also leading all gas-powered vehicles in its segment, we can see that EVs have come a long way in providing a best-in-class experience among those for whom an EV is an option. The BMW i7 leads all Alternative Powertrain (APT) Vehicles, followed by the EQS Sedan, R1T, EQS SUV, and Tesla Model S with plug-in hybrids and hybrids all lower down the APT list.
Strategic Vision has accurately and consistently predicted EV sales over the past forty years by listening to automotive customers through metrics such as its Most Loved Vehicle ratings and the successes and compromises reported by EV customers. "Electric vehicle owners -- who can afford both the costs and compromises associated with EVs -- often Love the driving performance and innovative technology of their vehicles," remarks Strategic Vision Vice President Alex Hare, "However, those comparably higher purchase prices and compromises such as recharging times, charging infrastructure and limits on vehicle range, will limit the rate of growth in overall EV sales, despite the wishes of those who set policy agendas. The key to EV adoption is to mitigate the compromises associated with EV ownership."
Other leaders in Strategic Vision’s latest Most Loved Vehicle Awards include the Kia K5 and Carnival, both leading their categories for a second year in a row. Honda had two leaders with the Honda Civic and Honda Passport, while the Land Rover brands also had two leaders with the Defender among SUVs over $52,000 and the Range Rover among self-identified Republicans. While leading in only one segment (African American / Mass Market), the Nissan Sentra was in the top five in multiple categories, granting it a win and honorable mentions in other categories. The Porsche 911 Coupe, Audi A5 Sportback, and Dodge Hornet also led their respective categories.
The 2023 Most Loved Vehicles in America, with their scores, are as follows:
Category | Most Loved | MLV |
Cars $40,000 and Under | Kia K5 | 508 |
Cars Over $40,000 | Porsche 911 | 641 |
SUVs/CUVs $52,000 and Under | Dodge Hornet | 539 |
SUVs/CUVs Over $52,000 | Defender 90 | 592 |
Pickups | Rivian R1T | 554 |
Minivans | Kia Carnival | 485 |
Mass Market by Women | Dodge Durango | 562 |
Luxury by Women | BMW X4 | 597 |
Mass Market by African American | Nissan Sentra | 584 |
Luxury by African American | BMW ix 4-Series Coupe (tie) | 663 |
Mass Market by Latin American | Honda Civic Sedan | 559 |
Luxury by Latin American | Mercedes-Benz GLE | 618 |
Mass Market by Youth (29 and Under) | Honda Passport | 660 |
Luxury by Youth (29 and Under) | BMW 3-Series | 713 |
Democrats | BMW X6 | 663 |
Republicans | Range Rover | 616 |
Alternative Powertrain | BMW i7 | 572 |
Strategic Vision is an international consulting and advisory services organization focusing on understanding and predicting advocacy, conquest, and loyalty according to personal values and decision-making structure. Strategic Vision’s annual Most Loved Vehicle (MLV) report is based on annual results from 82,474 new vehicle owners in the New Vehicle Experience Study (NVES). NVES is a large-scale syndicated study that also examines owners among all emerging markets. For further information or interview requests, please get in touch with Alexander Edwards or Christopher Chaney at (858) 576-7141 or email chris.chaney@strategicvision.com