San Diego, California: The Rivian R1T ranks above all electric and gas-powered pickups as the most Loved truck in America. The answer to why is detailed in Strategic Vision’s annual Most Loved Vehicles™ (MLV), which examines 118 different vehicle attributes and features measured on a unique scale that captures the “top box” experiences owners Love. Strategic Vision’s President and industry spokesman Alexander Edwards breaks down how this research explains the R1T's success; “The R1T generated more love with truck owners, including very competitive Ford models, often where it counts. For example, owners rated the R1T better than the F-150 and F-150 Lighting in Towing Capacity. The R1T also generated more love in all Ford truck models, including the F-250, in other important attributes such as Acceleration from Stop, Passing Capability, Off-Road Capability, Ground Clearance, Level of Standard Equipment, and Quality of Interior Materials.”
Strategic Vision is the only research company in the world that provides large-scale, comprehensive research using detailed attribute study measurements from a seven-point super-ordinal scale that uses words and phrases from the natural language expressed by consumers as they describe how they feel about an experience. Christopher Chaney, Senior Vice President of Strategic Vision, explains the benefits of the deeper research conducted by Strategic Vision, “When people use words such as ‘hate,’ ‘satisfied,’ and ‘love,’ they express the emotional impact of a rational experience. Scales that only judge ‘satisfaction’ miss the full extent of the experience. ‘Love’ leads to loyalty and advocacy and that is what we measure,” says Chaney. “Failing to measure Love misses the traits which create loyalty, missing future sales. If Love were properly measured and applied to the very first Apple iPhone experiences, Blackberry and others would probably not have lost many billions of dollars in market share to Apple,” concludes Chaney.
EV makers, government agencies and Wall Street can all learn lessons from studying the Most Loved Vehicles and take notes from the success of the customer experience like Rivian and the other leaders. “With current economic struggles, close attention should be paid to what vehicle younger buyers Love and can afford to purchase, such as the Hyundai Kona and how it provides owners with a small wealth of impactful features,” remarks Strategic Vision analyst, Ryan Ruiz. “Understanding why the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport elicits the feelings it does will help automotive manufacturers communicate more effectively to potential future customers resulting in increased sales, market share, and stock value,” concludes Ruiz.
Further findings from Strategic Vision's latest research bore the following results. Kia found success with the K5, Stinger, and Carnival as they are category leaders in 2023. The Kia Stinger was also the Most Loved mass-market vehicle among both African and Latin Americans. The BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe and BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe tied with the Infiniti QX50 as leaders among the same categories in their respective segments. Other highlights include the Mercedes-Benz GLE as the Most Loved luxury SUV/CUV. The Porsche 911 and Bentley Continental were statistically tied for the Most Loved Vehicle in their segment.
The 2023 Most Loved Vehicles in America, with their scores, are as follows:
Category | Most Loved | CLI |
Cars Under $35,000 | Kia K5 | 588 |
Cars $35,000 and Over | Porsche 911 Bentley Continental (TIE) | 606 605 |
SUVs/CUVs Under $45,000 | Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 568 |
SUVs/CUVs $46,000 and Over | Mercedes-Benz GLE | 615 |
Pickup Trucks | Rivian R1T | 571 |
Minivans | Kia Carnival | 500 |
Women | Audi A5/RS5 Sportback | 698 |
Mass Market by African American | Kia Stinger | 669 |
Luxury by African American | BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe | 693 |
Mass Market by Latin American | Kia Stinger | 712 |
Luxury by Latin American | BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe Infiniti QX50 (TIE) | 671 669 |
Mass Market by Youth (29 and Under) | Hyundai Kona | 724 |
Luxury by Youth (29 and Under) | BMW X5 | 726 |
Strategic Vision is an international consulting and advisory services organization that focuses on understanding and predicting advocacy, conquest, and loyalty according to personal values and decision-making structure. Strategic Vision’s annual Most Loved Vehicles (MLV) report is based on annual results from 200,000 new vehicle owners in the New Vehicle Experience Study (NVES). NVES possesses large sample research, including unique brands like Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, etc. and can examine most loved categories among all emerging markets, such as African and Latin Americans. For further information or interview requests, please contact Alexander Edwards or Christopher Chaney at 858.576.7141, or email chris.chaney@strategicvision.com.