The Carlab

What The Carlab does

The Carlab is a privately-held advanced automotive consulting firm headquartered in Orange, California, founded in 1999. The firm delivers professional services to automotive OEMs and, since 2011, to clients in financial, consumer product, and energy sectors. Its core offerings span Consumer Research (including concept testing, product clinics, focus groups, ethnography, ride-and-drives, and consumer KPIs), Consulting and Analytics (target buyer identification, product and portfolio planning, forecasting, market entry strategy, engineering KPIs, due diligence, and proprietary historical databases), Design and Packaging (2D design stimuli, segmentation, powertrain/drivetrain considerations, packaging and layout), Moderation (offline and online in English, French, and Hindi), Video Services (FS7/GoPro/drone capture and editing), and Analytics (future vehicle and sales forecasting, market trends, and pattern-based analysis).

The firm's flagship proprietary technology is PVIT© (Parametric Vehicle Interior Testing), a methodology using Carlab's own mannequins and processes to perform repeatable measurement of production vehicle models against more than 40 globally recognized and a dozen-plus new standards, enabling an inside-out design approach. Underpinning the analytics practice is the Vehicle Historical Attribute Study (VHAS), a proprietary historical database, along with proprietary design and development algorithms used for advanced product and service planning and technology roadmaps. PVIT© is a registered trademark.

The Carlab operates as a B2B professional services firm selling project-based consulting engagements to enterprise clients, primarily automotive OEMs, supported by retainer-style relationships accessed through a client portal. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct with no channel partners, and the firm markets itself primarily through industry coverage in automotive publications (Automotive News, Bloomberg, Forbes, Detroit Free Press, Financial Post) and word-of-mouth. The firm is small (1-10 employees), founder/management-owned, has not raised institutional funding, and has operated continuously for over 25 years.

Name

The Carlab

Legal name

The CARLAB

Website

https://thecarlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Carlab is a privately-held automotive consulting firm founded in 1999 that provides consumer research, design, analytics, and forecasting services to automotive OEMs and adjacent financial, consumer product, and energy clients, anchored by its proprietary PVIT© interior testing methodology and VHAS historical database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Consulting Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Automotive consumer research
• Vehicle interior testing
• Automotive consulting services
• Market forecasting analytics
• Vehicle design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: B2B consulting services including consumer research, consulting & analytics, design & packaging, moderation, video production, and analytics services for automotive and adjacent industries. Revenue likely generated through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Carlab is an advanced automotive consulting firm providing consumer research, consulting and analytics, design and packaging, moderation, video production, and analytics services for vehicle manufacturers. Its signature offering is PVIT© (Parametric Vehicle Interior Testing), a proprietary methodology that uses CARLAB mannequins and standardized processes to measure production vehicle interiors against 40+ globally recognized standards and inform "inside-out" vehicle design.

Product overview

The Carlab is an advanced automotive consulting firm founded in 1999, offering a comprehensive suite of professional services rather than a unified software platform. The company's core offerings include Consumer Research (with design/UX testing including eye tracking), Consulting & Analytics (including proprietary Vehicle Historical Attribute Study), Design & Packaging, Moderation & Keynote Speaker services, and Video Services. The flagship proprietary methodology is Parametric Vehicle Interior Testing (PVIT©), which uses CARLAB's own mannequins and processes to measure vehicle interiors against global standards. Services are provided independently but are designed to work together as an integrated consulting engagement for automotive clients seeking consumer-driven design insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Research Planning, execution, concept testing, and analysis services for automotive design and consumer feedback, including design/UX testing with eye tracking, product clinics, focus groups, in-home/situ interviews, ethnographic research, target user ride-and-drives, consumer KPIs, and internet/interactive surveys, delivered to automotive OEMs and manufacturers.
• Consulting & Analytics Product, service, technology, data, forecasting, and strategy consulting for automotive and adjacent industries, including target buyer identification, advanced product/service planning, vehicle/portfolio analysis, future trend and sales forecasting, market entry/brand strategy, engineering KPIs, technology roadmaps, due diligence, and proprietary design/development algorithms.
• Design & Packaging Design, modeling, package, and engineering brief services including target customer identification/visualization, 2D design stimuli normalization for consumer testing, segmentation and competitor analysis, powertrain/drivetrain considerations, product packaging and layout, performance targets, styling descriptors, bodystyle/proportions, and model/brand attributes and features/technology.
• Moderation & Keynote Speaker Moderation services conducted offline and online in English, French, and Hindi, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, and in-home/in-situ interviews for automotive consumer research.
• Video Services Professional video production services including camera operation with FS7 and GoPro equipment, drone footage, in-car footage capture, and video editing with subtitles and storytelling to support consumer research and design engagements.
• Analytics Future vehicle/segment attribute forecasting, sales forecasting, market trends analysis, proprietary Vehicle Historical Attribute Study (VHAS), VHAS-based pattern analysis, and market analysis services for automotive and adjacent industries.
• Parametric Vehicle Interior Testing (PVIT©) Proprietary testing methodology using CARLAB mannequins and processes to measure production vehicle models against more than 40 globally recognized and more than a dozen new standards, producing outputs used by vehicle designers to create optimized interiors and resultant exteriors ("designing from the inside out").

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurement against 40+ globally recognized standards plus additional new standards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• J.D. Power: The most established automotive benchmarking and consumer research firm, serving OEMs with vehicle quality, customer satisfaction, and consumer insights studies. J.D. Power is a broader incumbent that overlaps directly with The Carlab's automotive OEM research and analytics work, though at much larger scale.
• Ipsos Automotive: Global market research firm with a dedicated automotive practice covering consumer studies, product testing, brand strategy, and forecasting. Ipsos serves the same OEM customers as The Carlab but with broader scale, geographic reach, and adjacent category coverage.
• GfK (An NIQ Company): Global consumer research firm with automotive industry practice covering vehicle demand forecasting, brand health, and consumer purchase intent. GfK competes with The Carlab in automotive market analytics and forecasting, with much broader category coverage.
• Kantar Millward Brown: Global brand strategy and consumer insights consultancy with automotive clients. Kantar competes with The Carlab's brand strategy, positioning, and portfolio analytics offerings, particularly for OEM marketing and product planning functions.

Direct peers

• Strategic Vision: Automotive consumer research and consulting firm specializing in customer experience studies, vehicle satisfaction research, and brand perception for OEMs. Strategic Vision is the closest direct peer to The Carlab's auto-focused consumer research practice.
• Escalent: Consumer and B2B research firm with a strong automotive practice covering vehicle experience, connected car, mobility, and consumer insights for OEMs. Escalent is a direct competitor in automotive consumer research and analytics, with overlapping methodology and customer base.
• MaritzCX: Customer experience research firm with a dedicated automotive practice, providing vehicle purchase, ownership, and service experience studies. MaritzCX overlaps with The Carlab's consumer research and analytics work for OEM clients.
• Penn Schoen Berland: Consumer research and brand strategy consultancy serving automotive and adjacent industries with custom research, positioning, and messaging studies. Comparable to The Carlab in methodology and client type.
• Radius Global Market Research: Full-service consumer and B2B market research firm with strong automotive and mobility practice, providing custom consumer insights, product testing, and brand research for OEMs. Comparable scale and offering mix to The Carlab.

Emerging players

• Kelton Global: Consumer insights and strategy consultancy with automotive and mobility clients. Comparable in boutique scale and offering mix to The Carlab, with overlapping consumer research and brand strategy capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Carlab