Across the world, automotive retail is shifting fast. Dealership visits are declining in major markets, brand loyalty is weakening, and younger audiences are no longer engaged by traditional showroom experiences or passive sponsorships at events. Meanwhile, theme parks continue to thrive - not because of what they sell, but because of how they make people feel.
This is the lesson automotive brands need to understand. Consumers aren’t looking for transactions - they’re looking for relationships with the brands they choose. The way you make people feel is far more memorable than the information you give them, and that emotional impact is what drives loyalty and advocacy. The future of automotive loyalty is experiential, not transactional.
And this shift isn’t theoretical. Entire destinations are now being built around experience‑first design - including Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, a flagship Saudi Vision 2030 megaproject built on the philosophy of the power of play. Automotive brands that adopt this mindset will be the ones that stay ahead of emerging automotive trends and win the next generation of customers.
People don’t queue for a rollercoaster because of its technical specs. They queue for the excitement, the joy, the thrill - the way the experience makes them feel.
Theme parks understand:
Everything an automotive brand should be aspiring to create in every interaction with its customers.
Automotive brands, on the other hand, still rely heavily on:
If a brand wants to stand out in a crowded market, it needs to create the same sense of arrival, wonder, and participation that theme parks have mastered. This is one of the most important automotive trends emerging today: the shift from transactional retail to experiential destinations.
Pavegen has seen this shift firsthand. When Ford used our technology to power an interactive brand experience, the goal wasn’t to talk about innovation - it was to let people feel it. When Volvo used Pavegen to bring sustainability to life at a major event, the impact wasn’t in the messaging - it was in the moment visitors generated energy themselves.
These experiences work because they create emotional memory, not just brand awareness - and emotional memory is what drives loyalty, advocacy, and long‑term connection.
Theme parks thrive because they let people do, not just watch. That’s where automotive brands can learn the most.
When someone steps on an interactive energy‑generating installation and sees energy appear instantly, it creates a moment of connection. It’s simple, memorable, and emotionally sticky - the exact opposite of a passive showroom experience.
This is why experiential sustainability is becoming a defining automotive industry trend. It transforms sustainability from a claim into something people can touch, feel, and participate in. It turns brand messaging into a moment of impact.
And crucially, it works across every automotive touchpoint: fan zones, sponsorship activations, city‑centre takeovers, and dealership experience hubs.
Automotive brands are already using this approach:
These weren’t displays. They were moments of impact - and people remember impact.
If theme parks are the masters of emotional engagement, Qiddiya City is the next evolution. As one of the world’s most ambitious entertainment megaprojects - and a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 - Qiddiya is being built around the idea that play, immersion, and participation should shape the way people interact with the world.
Qiddiya isn’t just building attractions. It’s building emotional infrastructure.
And that’s the lesson for automotive brands: People remember how you make them feel, not what you tell them.
As Saudi Arabia pushes toward its Net Zero and sustainability goals, Qiddiya shows how destinations can make impact visible, interactive, and meaningful. Automotive brands that adopt this mindset will be the ones that stay ahead of global automotive trends.
What This Means For Automotive Brands
The automotive sector doesn’t need more digital configurators or bigger showrooms. It needs experiences that make people feel something - especially younger audiences who are forming brand preferences long before they’re old enough to drive.
The brands that win will be the ones that:
This is the direction automotive industry trends are moving - and the brands that act now will define the next era of mobility.
Pavegen is already helping automotive leaders make this shift. From Ford to Mercedes, Mitsubishi to Volvo, the brands embracing experiential sustainability are the ones building emotional memory - and emotional memory becomes loyalty.
Theme parks have known for decades that emotion drives loyalty. Qiddiya City is proving that the future of destinations is built around play. Consumers expect interactivity, immersion, and meaning - not brochures and billboards.
Automotive brands that embrace this shift will lead. Those that don’t will be forgotten.The next generation won’t remember your spec sheet. They’ll remember how you made them feel.
Pavegen is already helping brands like Ford, Mercedes‑Benz, Mitsubishi and Volvo turn that feeling into real, measurable engagement - transforming passive moments into unforgettable experiences.
If the industry’s biggest innovators are already moving in this direction. Don’t wait until experiential becomes the standard - get in touch with us today and lead the change instead of chasing it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information about how Pavegen kinetic technology is helping pave the wave for a more sustainable future, contact press@pavegen.com.
If you would like to sign-up to receive news and updates from Pavegen, complete our stay in touch contact form.
About Pavegen
Pavegen is a purpose-driven technology business that helps power change and generates positive outcomes for people and planet. Laying underfoot inside buildings, public spaces and at events, Pavegen Kinetic Paving harnesses the power of people’s footsteps, creating not only a small amount of energy – but also imaginative, interactive experiences and data, to help educate, engage and enable meaningful actions around sustainability and Net Zero intent. Pavegen calls this Citizen Impact; powered by Pavegen.
Pavegen helps power Kinetic Street Furniture applications such as USB charging, LED lights, and Green Wall irrigation systems, whilst data from the system can be used for public educational purposes on digital display screens. Kinetic Brand Experiences at live events, expos, festivals and public spaces produce data to provide gamified experiences that help brands engage meaningfully with consumers.
The company was founded in 2009 by Laurence Kemball-Cook who invented the Kinetic Paving technology that can now be seen in over 37 countries around the world.