Chevrolet

The federal tax credit expiry removed a price-driven trigger, exposing that Equinox EV demand depends on brand recall, not subsidy.

Most car buyers are not shopping today; 7.4% of US households are in-market for a vehicle at any time (Cox Automotive, 2026).

Buyers who do enter the market consult memory first, then search. A brand not recalled is not considered.

Chevrolet must shift from capturing demand to creating it, by building mental availability before the purchase window opens.

Today, Equinox EV share is not measured; we estimate it below 1% based on GM's EV sales mix.

Target: 3% share of segment registrations by February 2027, requiring approximately 15,000 units over the six-month campaign.

Behaviour change: from a brand considered only by active EV shoppers to one recalled by all compact SUV intenders.

Measurement: monthly IHS Markit registration data and a brand tracker among US adults 25-54.

The Equinox EV has competitive range, charging speed and price. Yet it trails Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5 in consideration.

The reason is not product; it is that buyers do not think of Chevrolet when they think of EVs.

Mental availability, the probability that a brand comes to mind in a buying situation, is the binding constraint.

Building it requires broad, consistent exposure across many category entry points, not feature comparison ads.

Porter's Six Forces (Porter, 1979 plus AI answer layer) reveal a category where competitive rivalry is high: Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Ford all compete for the same buyer.

Buyer power is high: price transparency and online research give buyers leverage. The AI answer layer (chatbots, zero-click search) now stands between the brand and the buyer, reducing the impact of paid search.

Supplier power is moderate; battery supply is tightening but GM has joint ventures.

Threat of new entrants is medium; new EV startups face capital constraints.

Threat of substitutes is rising: ride-share and micromobility reduce car ownership need.

The implication: Chevrolet must own the AI answer layer by ensuring Equinox EV appears in every relevant query.

Belief 1: 92.6% of US households are not in the market for a vehicle at any given time. Marketing to the 7.4% alone misses the future buyer.

Belief 2: When buyers enter the market, they recall brands they have seen before. Mental availability, not feature comparison, determines the initial consideration set.

Belief 3: The test drive is the single most influential moment. Most new-car buyers say the test drive alone sold them the vehicle.

Option A: Performance capture. Spend $40M on search, social, and programmatic to intercept in-market buyers. Cost: $40M. Return: estimated 8,000 test drives (based on $5,000 cost per test drive proxy). Risk: ignores 92.6% of future buyers; no brand equity built.

Option B: Brand building. Spend $24M on broad reach (TV, CTV, OOH) to build mental availability, $10M on test-drive activation, $6M on performance capture. Cost: $40M. Return: estimated 15,000 test drives and 2% share gain. Risk: longer payback; requires creative that cuts through.

Option C: Dealer activation. Spend $40M on dealer incentives, local events, and test-drive promotions. Cost: $40M. Return: estimated 12,000 test drives. Risk: limited national awareness; dealers may not execute consistently.

Option A is the cheaper obvious alternative. It would capture some in-market buyers but leave the brand unknown to the 92.6% who will enter the market later.

Option B allocates 60% to brand building, following the category standard for considered purchases (Binet & Field).

The $10M test-drive activation ensures the brand-building converts to physical experience.

The $6M performance capture catches those already searching.

Projected outcome: 15,000 test drives and a 2% share gain over six months, with a band of 1-3% depending on creative effectiveness.

The campaign must air before the October EV buying season peak.

Creative should feature the silence and effortless power of the Equinox EV, aligned with the emergent cultural code 'Quiet Electric Future'.

Media plan: CTV reach of 60% of US households 25-54 within four weeks.

Measurement: brand tracker wave 1 in September, wave 2 in December.