Driving Digital Excellence

Automotive Industry Digital Due Diligence, 2025

About this whitepaper

Discover how comprehensive Digital Due Diligence (DDD) uncovers the true drivers of brand value in today’s automotive industry.

This white paper analyzes the top 20 automotive brands ranked in Brand Finance’s Automotive Industry 2024 Report, revealing how their digital strategies shape brand performance, perception, and growth potential.

‍At the heart of this study lies a key question:
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How effectively do leading automotive brands leverage digital channels to strengthen their presence and accelerate growth?
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While the findings reflect the core pillars of our DDD methodology, they represent a snapshot based on data collected in January 2025. The study spans Europe, the United States, Oceania, Japan, and South Korea, offering a global perspective on digital competitiveness across key automotive markets.

Rev up your understanding of how Digital Due Diligence can fuel competitive advantage and see which brands are truly in the driver’s seat.Read the whole white paper to discover all insights.

Which automotive brands will cross the finish line first?

Gear up for the exciting reveal in the full white paper!

Interest in the automotive industry has fluctuated over the past two decades, often surging during periods of economic recovery and the emergence of major trends. The 2008 financial crisis reshaped industry strategies and accelerated innovation, setting the stage for the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and automotive e-commerce platforms throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s.

In 2024, the industry continues to evolve dynamically. Global new vehicle sales are projected to grow modestly by 2–3% following a rebound in 2023, reflecting supply-demand synchronisation and ongoing economic uncertainties.

Social Media Performance

BMW currently leads the automotive industry on social media, boasting the largest overall follower base. Mercedes-Benz follows closely behind, trailing by a modest margin of approximately 80,000 followers. Volkswagen, meanwhile, stands out with the largest Facebook audience, surpassing 35 million followers.

Across the industry, Instagram and Facebook remain the core pillars of the social media mix, consistently driving high visibility and engagement for automotive brands. On TikTok, the frontrunners, Ferrari, BMW, and Porsche, lead the pack with strong follower communities and viral reach.

Tesla stands out with the most balanced social media ecosystem. While many competitors concentrate their efforts on one or two platforms, Tesla maintains balanced performance across YouTube, X, and LinkedIn, even as it remains absent from Facebook and TikTok.

Find out more about all of the social media performance of the above mentioned brands in the full white paper.

Webpage Performance

In 2025, automotive brand websites show only moderate mobile performance, with room for improvement in loading speed and optimization according to Google’s PageSpeed benchmarks. Porsche and BMW emerge as top performers on desktop, demonstrating strong technical execution and overall site efficiency, while Porsche also leads in mobile performance among major brands.

Brands such as Hyundai, Volvo and BYD, which saw substantial declines in performance scores, may face challenges in maintaining their digital reach and user engagement.

Among the 20 automotive brands analyzed, 14 received low mobile performance scores, underscoring a widespread need for optimization. Improving mobile performance is critical, not only for enhancing user experience, but also for boosting overall search visibility.

Find out more about all of the brands in the full white paper.

Digital Brand Strength

Brands that consistently maintain high levels of popularity typically reflect a well-established digital strategy. In contrast, Tesla and BYD stand out as the most dynamically rising brands, rapidly gaining digital traction and disrupting traditional brand hierarchies through their strong online visibility and engagement growth.

The established brands like Audi, Subaru, Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW  have consistently maintained above-average levels of interest over the past 20 years.

‍Over the past 20 years, Toyota and BMW have made the greatest impact on the automotive industry, driven largely by their sustained digital popularity. Their strong online presence and consistent engagement have kept them at the forefront of consumer attention and brand influence.

In 2024, Toyota, Porsche, BMW and Hyundai have been the most impactful brands in the automotive industry.

The average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the 20 brands over the last 10 years is 3.05%.

Digital Brand Sentiment

Among all brands analyzed, Porsche clearly stands out. It is highly visible on AI-powered platforms and consistently receives positive sentiment, reflecting strong brand recognition. At the same time, its mentions are relatively fewer than mass-market brands like VW, highlighting its more niche positioning within the digital landscape.

In relative terms, BMW is most often referenced alongside other brands, indicating a strong presence in comparative discussions, while BYD appears less frequently in relation to other models, suggesting a more isolated digital footprint.

Digital performance is no longer optional, it’s a condition for competition. The DDD is the roadmap that charts the course to victory.

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*Analysed brands: Audi, BMW, BYD, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

Why you need this report

Gain access to comprehensive research and analysis that highlights the current digital landscape within the automotive sector.

Discover the key trends influencing consumer preferences and buying habits.

Explore the impact of social media on brand performance. Our report reveals how platforms like TikTok and Instagram are becoming vital for automotive engagement, surpassing traditional channels in follower growth and interaction.

Understand the digital strategies employed by the top 20 automotive brands. Our analysis provides insights into their digital efforts, brand value, and how they achieve higher rankings in the digital landscape.

What's inside

Analysis of consumer search behavior, key trends, and their implications for visibility and marketing strategies.

Evaluates social media presence and engagement, effectiveness of content strategies across platforms, and assesses brand performance on video platforms like YouTube, focusing on content strategies and viewership metrics.

Analyzes the performance of automotive brand websites, focusing on desktop and mobile scores, while examining SEO metrics like keyword rankings, visibility, and organic traffic sources.

Evaluation of the overall digital popularity of automotive brands, based on online presence and engagement metrics.

Provides a detailed overview of the digital performance and footprint of the top 20 most valuable and influential automotive brands globally, including in-depth rankings based on digital performance. The rankings are based on a weighted scoring model that considers multiple digital indicators and variables, such as brand engagement, online presence, and digital marketing effectiveness.

Learn more about our tailored Digital Due Diligence frameworks, designed to meet your specific needs. Whether you're focused on developing high-ROI digital models for business growth or an investment manager aiming to enhance ROI in the Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Family Fund spaces, our comprehensive assessments provide the insights necessary for informed decision-making and long-term success.

About

Cognitive Creators is a digital transformation consultancy that helps global leaders and like-minded brands to transition into the digital future.

We have been challenging conventional business thinking and identifying new digital horizons by developing frameworks that make digital adoption intuitive and sustainable. Our approach makes building the path of change possible where others struggle to decipher the challenges that the digital world brings.

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