MILAN – Gen Z is about to break in and change the balance of the automotive world. This is why AutoScout24, the largest pan-European online automotive marketplace (together with Quintegia), has carried out a research to find out more and identify new trends for the coming years.
The results? First fact: for young people the car is important, but they are more open to the use of alternative formulas. In fact, almost eight out of ten (77%) usually use public transport for their own journeys (vs 50% other generations), love micro-mobility services (61% vs 38%) and are more inclined to car sharing ( 27% vs 14%). They are therefore more used to having a choice and a level of connectivity without interruptions, a characteristic that is fundamental to them for any type of transport. What does not change compared to the “seniors” is the centrality of the car, considered very or quite important by 72% of the sample.
Gen Z uses their own or family car every day (60%) or at least 3/4 days a week (22%), and many are interested in the car world. But although younger people today have a low impact on sales, within the family they are real “influencers”, with 55% of them actively participating in the choice of the car to buy.
Sustainability. This is the “theme” that characterizes this generation, considered very important for two thirds of young people (vs 58% for other generations). An attention that is reflected in the propensity to purchase plug-in and electric hybrid vehicles. When buying a car, 73% will probably or certainly consider a plug-in hybrid car (vs 55% other generations) and two-thirds of the sample an electric car (vs 45%). On the reasons for the choice, they indicate respect for the environment (55%) and why it represents the future (38%).
On a general level, however, the digital soul of this generation emerges. Young people use the web to collect information (73% vs 55% other generations) or compare prices (53% vs 36%), and are more likely (84%) to abandon the purchase in the case of a slow digital experience , not very fluid, of poor quality.
Shopping. When buying a car, the official dealership is always confirmed as the first choice (49%), a figure 12 percentage points lower than other generations. On the contrary, among the preferred sales channels, dealership sites are growing (37% vs 23% other generations), the official portals of car manufacturers (37% vs 23%) and marketplaces (36% vs 21%). On the online car sales front? It is certainly a much more predisposed generation: 77% think online is very or quite interesting, compared to only 48% of the other age groups. The interest in this type of purchase, inversely proportional to age, is driven, at first, by the convenience of being able to manage everything without constraints of time and place (48%), and at a later time by simplicity and speed ( 35%) and the possibility of finding the car of interest without doubts about the offer (32%).
Conclusions. This data can be useful for brands, car manufacturers and their dealers. Provided they know how to read them: the perception of children about them is positive (74%), although only 15% consider them suitable. And then there are the purchase formulas: what could dealers do to be more attractive to Gen Z? There are several solutions: the first of all concerns the proposal of dedicated offers (for 63%), followed by the hiring of young salespeople (33%) and the interactive experience (30%) such as augmented reality or virtual configurators. And then it is necessary to go beyond traditional contact channels, using social networks (50%), events dedicated to young people (33%) and influencers (25%) as a way of relating. Even the dealership, which remains an important purchasing channel in their imagination but perceived as a reality to be enhanced and innovated, must change its skin. No longer just a store, but also a place to fully experience the brand with its values, environment and brand image.