Car companies are obsessing over EV product while forgetting the brand heritage, emotional loyalty and lifelong connection that could actually save them

At a recent event, I was chatting to somebody who works within the legacy car industry. It doesn’t matter which manufacturer, because this relates to the industry as a whole – it’s something bigger, broader and potentially catastrophic for the entire car industry. What this person told me was that, in terms of marketing and PR budgets, their focus now is very much on product rather than brand. And I understand why. These companies have cars to sell, EV targets to hit, emissions legislation to satisfy, ZEV mandates to survive, shareholders to soothe and showroom traffic to somehow summon from the ether. But I also think this strategy could be a fundamental, frightening and potentially fatal mistake.