How Volume Automotive Dealers Can Create Ultra-luxury Customer Experiences

A conversation with Marques McCammon, President, Karma Automotive

Creating personalized customer experiences is fundamentally about tapping into humans' innate need for love, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. This philosophy reflects how Marques McCammon, president of Karma Automotive, and his team at the only bespoke automotive manufacturer headquartered in the United States approach creating deeply personal connections with the brand’s customers.

“Think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the things that humans need – safety, security, a sense of belonging. There’s no level that says ‘transaction’,” McCammon said during a conversation at the recent 2024 Reuters Automotive USA Conference in Detroit. “We have to approach creating experiences in automotive where customers feel a sense of belonging and think about how we use technology and resources to continuously elevate those experiences as the connection with customers deepens.”

The activities Karma includes in its approach to creating a customized sense of belonging for its customers are unique to an automotive brand building limited-production vehicles that cost $200,000 or more. Karma lets its customers select interior textiles, offers them factory visits to watch their car being produced, presents them with a custom gift box complete with the owner’s manual and keys upon delivery, and enables them to order custom rocker panels for their vehicle a few weeks after taking delivery. Still, McCammon believes there are some similar and simple best practices all volume brand dealers can adopt along almost every stop on the customer journey – for example, taking time to observe and understand customers in both face-to-face and digital engagement.

“You are wearing a smartwatch on your left wrist and crafted, designed bracelets on your right wrist,” McCammon points out sitting across the table for this conversation. “That already opens up basic information about you, including that you enjoy interactive technology and also enjoy crafted design and materials.”

What McCammon highlights is one example of the opportunities he feels are afforded volume auto brand sales professionals to create highly customized, ultra-luxury experiences by observing and understanding in-person and digital signals that allow dealerships to look beyond the transaction and create that sense of belonging people want.

“We can now go into exploration of a vehicle that fits your personality and ultimately helps you feel that the car you bought was exclusively built for you and that you are now part of our family,” McCammon said.

McCammon’s opinion that creating personalized customer experiences is fundamentally about tapping into humans’ innate need for love, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization aligns well with the teachings of Abraham Maslow, the noted American psychologist, and his model for understanding the motivations for human behavior. It also aligns with the “Loyalty Lessons from Luxury Brands” trend in a 2025 CX Trends Report commissioned by Acxiom. This report, to be released in late November 2024 emphasizes that customers want to feel special, recognized, and valued.

Maintaining and nurturing that personal, family-like connection includes other best practices Karma employs that McCammon believes volume brand dealers can also easily adopt. For example, inviting customers to private events like exclusive vehicle viewings in the showroom and destination experiences for off-road and performance vehicle owners creates that connection.

Another example is deferring offers for accessories and other add-on products 30 to 60 days into vehicle ownership rather than making those offers while working with the finance and insurance manager to finalize a deal, a practice that often results in people feeling pressured and thus negatively impacting the overall customer experience.

Finally, Karma separates the sales experience and delivery experience with dedicated CX experts at the dealership, welcoming new owners to their vehicles and spending time introducing them to their new car and its features.

An Acxiom 2023 survey of 1,500 vehicle owners in the United States revealed that more than half did not purchase additional products or packages the last time they bought a vehicle. Moreover, many would have considered purchasing additional products, like insurance in response to a more personal and positive customer experience.

The Importance of Ecosystems to the Industry and Creating Seamless CX

Brands working together in business ecosystems to deliver ultra-luxury customer experiences is one of three elements that form the pillars of Karma’s go-to-market strategy (the other two being building beautiful cars and operating as a technology company).

It’s a strategy critically important to creating that sense of belonging for Karma’s customers, but it’s also a strategy that is critically important to automakers looking to the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) to drive sales and market share and inspire the next generation of talent.

“As an industry, we need ecosystem partnerships to address shortfalls in charging infrastructure – which ultimately impacts consumers’ experiences driving EVs,” McCammon said. For Karma, funding a Southern California clean energy corridor that spans Moreno Valley to Irvine is another opportunity to engage customers and potential owners. Karma is also engaging high schoolers dreaming about working on a supercar one day, those in junior college looking for a career on the plant floor, or future entrepreneurs building businesses that, for example, service charging stations.

Creating ecosystem partnerships with other luxury brands that extend the ultra-luxury experience Karma offers its customers – regardless of whether they relate to EV infrastructure or not – is also a fundamental strategy in the company’s approach to elevating a sense of belonging and creating a sense of esteem and self-actualization.

“The powertrain and other technologies inside Karma vehicles help offset typical anxieties surrounding range and charging convenience,” McCammon said. “With those concerns addressed in the vehicles we offer and off the table, we can turn our attention to extending an ultra-luxury lifestyle that the Karma brand promises to deliver.” Karma vehicles feature extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrains that can travel up to 80 miles on pure electric drive before engaging a gasoline-powered generator. The generator replenishes the battery so the vehicle can continue driving for up to 360 total miles before refueling.

Some of those customized welcome boxes Karma’s gifting department prepares for new owners when taking delivery of their vehicles are provided by key partners and come in an iconic shade of blue, wrapped with white ribbon. The company in December will announce a strategic partnership with a luxury beverage brand.

“We’ve found points of intersection where we think that what we do and what our luxury ecosystem partners do align very well to the benefit of all the brands and customers in that ecosystem,” McCammon said. “We don’t look to engage in a transaction. We look to immerse customers in a lifestyle experience.”

Parting Advice for Volume Brand Automotive Dealers

McCammon believes the most significant opportunity for the automotive industry is thinking about how to unpack a level of seamlessness that draws on every person’s human need to feel a sense that they belong to something, a position that also aligns with a “fandoms and communities” trend found in Acxiom’s 2025 CX Trends Report.

“How do we use technology and interpersonal connection to give the consumer that level of connection where they feel like they're belonging, not just that we're transacting?” McCammon asked.

He suggests volume automotive dealers can learn from Karma's approach to creating ultra-luxury customer experiences. By focusing on personalization, technology integration, and ecosystem partnerships, volume dealers can elevate the customer experience they deliver to shoppers. Here are some key ways:

1. Personalization: Volume dealers can offer personalized experiences by taking time to understand how a vehicle reflects who the customer is, allowing prospective buyers to feel like the vehicle they are considering was built just for them.

2. Ecosystem Partnerships: Collaborating with complementary brands such as hotels and other ecosystem partners can create a seamless and integrated experience for customers, enhancing their overall satisfaction and sense of belonging.

3. Customer Journey: Focusing on the entire customer journey, from initial interest, to ownership, and providing ongoing support and exclusive access to experiences can help build long-term relationships with customers.

In his opinion, by approaching CX in a way that meets the innate needs of human beings, any brand working in automotive retailing – regardless of whether it is a custom manufacturer like Karma or a volume automotive brand manufacturer – has the opportunity to create that sense of belonging and as a result, can create a competitive advantage via highly personalized experiences that tap into the DNA of who people are.