Kearney and Qloo use cultural AI to link off-road fans and EV buyers

What the research examined

The study, published by Kearney under the title Can rising fuel costs and a love for the outdoors open the market for off-road EVs?, asks whether traditional off-road enthusiasts could be a significant opportunity for the next generation of electric vehicles. Qloo, which describes itself as an AI company focused on cultural intelligence and taste-based inference, highlighted the work in a release dated Oct. 27, 2026.

Researchers used Qloo's cross-domain taste intelligence to analyze the cultural affinities of three audiences: traditional off-road enthusiasts, mainstream EV buyers, and a Rivian-associated audience.

Key findings

According to the release, the analysis produced four main results:

• Audience convergence: Off-road enthusiasts and mainstream EV buyers showed meaningful overlap across outdoor brands, entertainment, media and lifestyle interests.
• Possible white space: The research identified potential room for rugged, utility-focused electric vehicles in the 60,000 segment, where mainstream affordability and credible off-road capabilities have yet to converge at scale.
• Signals beyond demographics: Qloo's AI found relationships across brands, media, fashion, dining, retail and travel that vehicle ownership data or demographic analysis may overlook.
• Product implications: Automakers could use cross-category consumer intelligence to inform positioning, feature prioritization and market-entry strategies earlier in development.

The study also found that the Rivian-associated audience takes a more design-oriented view of outdoor adventure, while mainstream EV buyers share significant affinities with traditional off-road enthusiasts. According to the release, this suggests room for differentiated products aimed at distinct consumer identities.

What the companies say

Alexander Bruns, Partner at Kearney, said that looking at interests in food, clothing, magazines and music "can feel off-topic" at first, but that these signals revealed links between seemingly different audiences. He called one result unexpected: mainstream EV buyers "may have more in common with hardcore off-roaders than the industry assumes." He said this matters when deciding which features are essential and where differentiation is worth investing in.

Jay Alger, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Qloo, said consumers "don't live in industry silos, but most market research still puts them there."

How Qloo's approach differs and what it means

Qloo says that, unlike approaches relying mainly on demographics, surveys or historical purchasing behavior, it models relationships among cultural entities and consumer preferences across categories. The company says its privacy-first architecture lets organizations explore affinities and make inferences without personally identifiable information, and positions the method as a complementary layer to traditional market research.

Qloo points to applications in automotive, commerce, financial services, travel, hospitality and AI-powered agents. Its customers include American Express, Netflix, Match Group, Live Nation and Michelin, according to the company.

The release includes a clear caveat. The Q3 2026 study compared interest-defined audience cohorts, including a Rivian-affinity cohort rather than verified owners. Findings are directional and do not establish purchase intent or market size. For automakers, the work is therefore best read as a prompt for further product and market testing rather than proof of demand for off-road EVs.