As manufacturers reimagine car ownership, fashion and entertainment take the wheel

For gen Z, the car-buying experience is evolving into a lifelong brand journey that extends far beyond the vehicle itself.

The electric revolution

With over half of 16–29-year-olds likely to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) in the next decade, major car brands are reimagining their approach for a whole new customer base.

The typical gen Z purchaser is likely to be a student (28%), single (61%), and educated to university standard (25%). This target market is truly enmeshed in digital social media, and it’s shaping the way major car brands are designing, manufacturing and marketing new EV models. Brands want to bring gen Z on a brand journey for life, but that journey is brand new.

Competition in the EV market is fierce, with manufacturers vying for the attention of these tech-savvy consumers. Volkswagen’s ID.2all exemplifies this new breed of EVs, boasting a 280-mile range and innovative features. All of this comes wrapped in a new Volkswagen design language, with a price tag under £23,000 (around $30,000).

Not to be outdone, the electric Renault 5 model counters with a colorful, bold approach, a 248-mile range on a 30-minute charge, voice control, a 50-app multimedia system with Google built-in, and Renault-connected services.

It’s no accident that its playful design and cutting-edge technology appeal directly to the gen Z aesthetic.

And for the budget-conscious, Chinese manufacturer BYD aims to smash the EV stigma with its supermini Seagull model, starting around £8,000.

Fashion meets automotive

Car brands are increasingly blurring the lines between the automotive and fashion industries, recognizing that for gen Z, a car is as much a style statement as a mode of transport. This blend of brand loyalty, style, and social media is reshaping not just the purchasing experience, but design and commerce decisions too.

Mercedes-Benz leads the charge in this arena. The brand already produces its own fashion range, appears on over 60 fashion platforms all over the world, and is a regular sponsor of fashion events like Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW). This focus on fashion is clear in its automotive output too. A prime example is the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4MATIC+ Coupé, where sporty couture and unconventional looks make for a perfect match.

While collaborations between car manufacturers and fashion houses are nothing new (think Volkswagen Golf GTI’s partnership with Adidas, Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 with Versace, or Land Rover Defender with Paul Smith), recent partnerships have taken an innovative turn. APL and McLaren have joined forces to produce the APL McLaren HySpeed all-purpose trainer, a fusion of automotive engineering and footwear design. Similarly, Scuderia Ferrari, BMW, and Porsche have all collaborated with Puma on branded footwear lines.

These initiatives not only promote brand loyalty but also showcase sustainable practices by repurposing leftover car materials into trendsetting fashion items. It's a win-win situation that appeals to the environmentally conscious gen Z consumer while extending the brand’s reach beyond the automotive sector.

The car as entertainment

For gen Z, the future of cars lies in entertainment. The cockpit is evolving from a simple driver's seat into a personalized, gamified space driven by emotional preferences. Just as exteriors are now expected to reflect a more fashion- and image-conscious audience, interiors are coming to serve a more experiential purpose. Sony and Honda are at the forefront of this shift, envisioning the car of tomorrow as a moving entertainment space.

The collaboration’s Afeela EV concept car is designed as an entertainment hub on wheels, featuring interfaces developed by gaming giant Epic Games. With screens for movie streaming and immersive gaming experiences, the Afeela reimagines what it means to be a passenger – or even a driver – in the age of autonomous vehicles.

Mini's Aceman concept puts personalization first with an infotainment system that projects onto the dashboard and door panels, transporting occupants via a multisensory experience. Drivers can project personal photos and digitally decorate the interior of the car with their own aesthetic, turning the vehicle into a canvas for self-expression.

Meanwhile, BMW is pushing boundaries even further with the ‘i Vision Dee’, standing for ‘digital emotional experience’. This concept car is designed with a digital soul, creating a human-like connection between car and owner. It features reactive and emotional technologies that connect telemetry, spatial soundscapes, projected graphics, and augmented reality.

That car’s most intriguing feature? It learns about its owner through social media usage, turning car ownership into a relationship, complete with a mixed reality slider that can seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds.

From Knight Rider to reality

For gen X readers, the days of Knight Rider's voice-controlled KITT car might seem like a quaint relic of 1980s television, but that’s closer to reality than ever before.

As the automotive industry keeps racing forward, the days of simple ownership are long gone. For gen Z, a car is no longer just a means of transport. It’s a digital companion, a fashion statement, and an entertainment center on wheels. The evolution from single purchase to digital lifestyle is already here, and the road ahead promises even more exciting innovation.