Introducing Gen Z: the most disruptive generational shift in consumer buying behaviours we’ve ever seen.
For automotive brands - and the marketing teams responsible for convincing Gen Z to buy their cars - this is a critical moment. This generation isn’t responding to the same cues that worked for Millennials, Gen X, or Boomers. They’re less trusting of traditional sales environments, more sceptical of brand messaging, and far more influenced by experiences, values, and participation than by product features alone.
This isn’t a subtle change. It’s a fundamental reset in how the next generation wants to meet automotive brands.
The brands that adapt will win. The ones that don’t will lose relevance fast.
Below is a clearer look at where automotive marketing is falling short - and how Pavegen helps close the gap.
Rethinking the Role of the Showroom
For decades, the dealership has been the centre of automotive retail. But for Gen Z, it’s one of the least appealing environments. Recent UK research shows that 84% of Gen Z would not feel confident negotiating with a car salesperson - the highest of any generation. They’re not avoiding cars. They’re avoiding environments that feel intimidating or transactional.
And this is where Pavegen changes the dynamic entirely.
We don’t ask people to come to a showroom - we meet them where they already are. In city centres, at festivals, on campuses, and at major sporting events. Places where Gen Z feels relaxed, curious, and open to discovery.
A Pavegen activation becomes the opposite of a dealership. It flips the script and becomes everything a dealership isn't: fun, memorable, and zero pressure.
We’ve already seen this play out in the EV market. The EV Crisis proved that discounts and one‑way sales tactics aren’t enough to shift behaviour - especially for younger buyers. Gen Z won’t buy a car they don’t understand or feel connected to, no matter how big the incentive. They need clarity, experience, and participation, not price cuts. And that’s exactly why traditional dealership‑led marketing is falling short.
Traditional automotive marketing still leans heavily on TV ads, billboards, and polished campaigns. But Gen Z is the least trusting generation when it comes to traditional advertising -they scroll past it instantly.
What they respond to is emotional memory: the feeling a brand leaves behind.
And this is where Pavegen has a measurable advantage.
When someone steps onto a Pavegen walkway and sees their movement generate energy or trigger an impact, the experience becomes unforgettable. That’s not just intuition - it’s backed by behaviour. Around 90% of memory is tied to physical action or emotional response, which is exactly what Pavegen activates in a single step.
Experiences that require participation don’t just attract attention - they hold it. Brands see 2–3× higher dwell time when people are physically involved, and 65% of attendees say experiential content is more memorable when it reacts to them.
Movement is universal, inclusive, and intuitive - no onboarding, no explanation, no friction. Just a simple, human action that creates an emotional connection.
This is why Pavegen moments stick long after the activation ends. It’s not messaging. It’s not a slogan. It’s a feeling - and feelings drive loyalty far more effectively than broadcast impressions ever could.
Sustainability has become a standard part of automotive marketing - so much so that it no longer differentiates one brand from another.
Gen Z grew up in a world where climate activism wasn’t niche; it was mainstream. Greta Thunberg - one of the most influential environmental voices of the last decade - is herself part of Gen Z. Her activism shaped the cultural landscape this generation came of age in.
For them, environmental responsibility isn’t a trend. It’s an expectation.
This is why traditional sustainability messaging falls flat. They’re not looking for slogans or green‑washed campaigns. They want to see sustainability in action - impact they can witness, measure, and participate in.
Pavegen turns sustainability into a tangible experience. Every step generates clean energy. Every activation can contribute to tree‑planting, community projects, or visible environmental benefit.
It transforms sustainability from a corporate claim into something people can physically engage with.
For Gen Z, that difference matters.They don’t want to be told a brand cares about the planet - they want to feel it.
The Real Issue: Automotive Isn't Speaking Gen Z's Language
When you zoom out, the pattern becomes obvious.
Dealerships feel intimidating. Advertising feels untrustworthy. Sustainability messaging feels hollow. Brand communication feels corporate.
None of these things align with how Gen Z forms loyalty.
This generation values participation over persuasion, experiences over environments, impact over intention, and authenticity over polish. They want brands to feel human, not transactional. They want to be part of something - not spoken at from a distance.
And that’s exactly where Pavegen sits.
Pavegen gives automotive brands a way to show up differently - not louder, not flashier, but more human. It creates a moment where the brand and the audience do something together. A moment that feels shared, not sold.
This is what our founder calls The Participation Gap - the widening disconnect between how brands communicate and how consumers want to engage. Gen Z doesn’t want to watch brands. They want to interact with them.
Pavegen closes that gap by turning movement into energy, energy into impact, and impact into emotional connection. It gives automotive brands a way to demonstrate their values in real time, in real places, with real people.
Gen Z isn’t rejecting automotive. They’re rejecting outdated marketing.
They want brands that meet them in their world, speak their language, and create experiences that feel meaningful. They want to feel something - connection, impact, participation - before they consider loyalty.
Pavegen gives automotive brands the ability to do exactly that.
It’s not a new model. It’s not a new ad campaign. It’s not a new influencer partnership.
It’s a new way of showing up.
The automotive brands that embrace experiential, human‑powered engagement now will be the ones that stay relevant tomorrow - and the ones that will close the participation gap.
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For more information about how Pavegen kinetic technology is helping pave the wave for a more sustainable future, contact press@pavegen.com.
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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.