Automotive Car Clinic for a Global OEM Vehicle Launch

A high-stakes launch on the horizon.

A leading global automotive OEM was preparing to launch a new vehicle into a fiercely contested North American segment, with tooling, marketing, and dealer rollout converging on a fixed launch window.

Pre-launch reviews surfaced uncertainty on three fronts: how the design would land relative to competitors, which features would justify a price premium, and how the positioning would translate into purchase consideration.

What was at stake?

In a segment where shoppers cross-shop four to six nameplates, small perception gaps translate directly into share losses. The client needed head-to-head consumer reactions in a controlled environment, before final pricing and trim decisions were locked.

A multi-city car clinic program.

SIS International Research designed and executed a multi-day automotive car clinic across two major US metros. We recruited more than 250 in-market consumers per location, screened on purchase timeframe, segment consideration, income, and current vehicle.

A controlled head-to-head environment.

Vehicles were staged in a neutral venue under consistent conditions. The client's model was evaluated alongside the four most relevant competitive entries, with badging managed to isolate product response from brand halo effects.

A layered methodological design.

The clinic combined multiple instruments to capture rational, emotional, and behavioral signals:

1. Static walk-around with structured scoring on design and quality
2. Sit-in evaluations of front and rear occupant experience
3. Side-by-side competitive comparison and forced trade-offs
4. Conjoint and price sensitivity across trim configurations
5. Moderated small-group discussions with high-intent shoppers
6. Observational capture of dwell time and unprompted reactions

Findings were synthesized into a strategic readout within weeks of fieldwork close, fast enough to feed the remaining pre-launch decision gates.

A sharper launch proposition.

The clinic produced a clear, evidence-based picture of where the new vehicle won decisively against its competitive set, where parity required messaging support, and where small refinements would meaningfully lift purchase consideration.

Decisions that moved before launch.

The client used the findings to:

1. Refine the trim and feature walk to align with quantified willingness to pay
2. Adjust positioning messaging around the two attributes that consistently drove preference in head-to-head comparison
3. Reprioritize design and content emphasis in launch creative toward the cues generating the strongest unprompted reactions
4. Validate the pricing corridor with confidence ahead of dealer communication

A stronger market entry.

The vehicle entered the market with a positioning and price architecture that had been stress-tested against real shoppers and real competitors. Post-launch tracking showed consideration and shopping behavior in line with pre-launch expectations, and ahead of them in key buyer segments. The methodology has since been adopted as a standing input for the OEM's North American product planning cycle.