Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Heliyon
journal homepage: www.cell.com/heliyon

Research article

Evaluation of electric car styling based on analytic hierarchy

process and Kansei engineering: A study on mainstream Chinese
electric car brands
Yuzhe Qi , Kiesu Kim *
Industrial Design Program, Silla University, Busan 46958, South Korea

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: To evaluate the fuzzy and uncertain factors brought by human’s emotional sensibilities during the
AHP design of new energy vehicle models, a scientific design evaluation method was adopted. This
New energy vehicle study combines the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Kansei Engineering to assess the design
Car styling
of new energy vehicle models. It uses both objective criteria and subjective user perceptions. First,
Evaluation design
Kansei engineering
it quantified the design imagery vocabulary through Kansei Engineering and identified the target
imagery vocabulary. Secondly, the AHP method was used to establish a relationship between
design features and imagery vocabulary. Thrid, the study created an evaluation index system for
design imagery, and adopted the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation matrix to rank the represen­
tative vehicles and brands in the Chinese new energy vehicle market. Based on the weight
analysis results, the vehicle functionality (whether it is safe and reliable), the elegance of design,
and the intricacy of vehicle structure were identified as the top three aspects that affect the
impression of new energy vehicles. Therefore, we need to focus on these aspects during the design
of new energy vehicles. Additionally, by integrating objective evaluation and emotional analysis
results, we assessed the design for each new energy vehicle brand. The results of this study are
important for developing the new energy vehicle market.

1. Introduction

Global energy system faces an unprecedented crisis and there has been a growing increase in concern about environmental issues.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have gained wider attention and importance as an eco-friendly and sustainable mode of transportation. The
Chinese government has introduced various policies to promote the development of the new energy industry. Driven by policy support
and market demand in 2022, the market penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached nearly 26% for the entire year [1] (Fig. 1).
While China has become a significant market for the production and sales of new energy vehicles globally. The development of the new
energy vehicle industry has yet achieved substantial breakthroughs [2]. In the study, Chen, Y identified the challenges faced by the
new energy vehicle industry, including a low willingness to popularize, a short path to popularization, and poor popularization
benefits [3]. To address these issues, Jiang, Z. found that the Chinese government has made preferential policies in pilot cities for new
energy vehicles and increased subsidies. It has a significant positive impact on the quantity of technological innovations in new energy
vehicle enterprises through partial mediating effects [4]. Intelligent vehicle testing has been a focal point in smart vehicles. Zhu, B

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: kks@silla.ac.kr (K. Kim).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26999
Received 8 November 2023; Received in revised form 29 January 2024; Accepted 22 February 2024
Available online 28 February 2024
2405-8440/© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Fig. 1. Trend of penetration rate in the Chinese new energy market.

proposed an intelligent vehicle testing critical scenario search method based on the Social Cognitive Optimization (SCO) algorithm.
The test results indicate that this method can enhance search efficiency and coverage of critical scenarios [5]. Furthermore, automotive
driving safety remains a focus in automotive research. J., X introduced a hybrid EFL (Eye-Tracking, Facial Expression Analysis, and
Lidar) recommendation strategy to enhance driving safety. By extracting visual features from human dynamic vision, the proposed
method demonstrated its potential value in various collected driving tasks [6,7]. However, as an integral part of electric vehicles, the
car’s exterior will influence consumer’s purchasing decisions. The aesthetic appeal of the vehicle affect consumers’ first impression and
is closely related to user experience, brand image, and market competitiveness [8]. New energy vehicles, as emerging products, have
distinct differences in their internal and mechanical structures compared to traditional fuel-powered cars. These differences inherently
influence their exterior designs, resulting in variations between the aesthetics of traditional and new energy vehicles. Hence, we need
to follow the trends and design new energy vehicles that cater to consumer demands [9]. As the functions and performance of the
product becomes homogenized, the design technology for product exterior quality has garnered significant attention from both the
academic and industrial sectors. To meet the growing demands of consumers for diverse and personalized. Designs, new technologies
are used. For companies, product design is a valuable tool to gain a competitive edge. Therefore, design analysis helps brands to
increase competitiveness. Scholar Hyun [10] employs a mixed-quantitative approach to assess certain design elements’ weight factors
from four aspects: style analysis, mixed quantification, data structure configuration, and the identification of unique design elements.
Liu [11] has developed a car styling emotional design method that combines Kansei Engineering with online review analysis. This
method integrates Kansei Engineering with online comment analysis to predict vehicle models of interest to users. Some scholars have
conducted research on the front-end design of automobiles using Gestalt psychology. They have conducted a positioning analysis of the
emotional image of Geely automotive brand’s front-end design [12]. Chinese scholar Wang has conducted design research on electric
car styling concepts. He proposed a series of strategies and design styles of new energy vehicles. It analyzed consumers’ aesthetic
preferences for electric car styling design [13]. However, as China’s new energy industry started late, there is little in-depth explo­
ration into whether the design of new energy vehicles aligns with the aesthetic preferences of Chinese consumers. Therefore, con­
ducting an objective evaluation and optimization study of the styling of new energy vehicles holds significant theoretical and practical
significance. Many scholars primarily focus on positive design research during the study of product aesthetics. Moreover, research on
the evaluation of the styling of new energy vehicles is relatively scarce, especially concerning mainstream Chinese new energy
automotive brands. Scholars mainly investigate users’ sensory responses during new product development. In such research, designers
often predict users’ sensory needs but they find it hard to identify these needs. Additionally, designers’ thoughts can influence product
design and development. Existing methods for evaluating automotive styling primarily rely on subjective opinions of designers and
feedback from consumers. They lack systematic and objective approaches to evaluate user reactions to products. To build Chinese new
energy automotive brands, we need to adopt effective evaluation method that comprehensively assess the mainstream styles in both
quantitative and qualitative ways (see Fig. 2).
Products need to be improved to adapt to the diverse needs of users [14]. Based on the products of the company, this study adopts a
reverse engineering approach to explore user sensibilities more accurately. Its main focus is to investigate the sensibility demands of
Chinese users for products from emerging automotive companies in the new energy market. It aims to uncover designs that better align
with user preferences and provide insights for developing new energy vehicles in China. Additionally, the research incorporates both
user surveys and expert evaluations to ensure a diverse perspective and avoid a singular focus on the design. This study will serve as a
vital reference and guidance for the design and marketing of Chinese electric car brands. It also contributes to the development and
expansion of research methods to evaluate new energy vehicle aesthetics. Product reference and alignment with consumer preferences
are essential for the aesthetic design of new energy vehicles (NEVs). Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Kansei Engineering are used
in this process. By building an evaluation system and allocating weights, AHP systematically ranks and compares elements of new
energy vehicle design [15]. Kansei Engineering, on the other hand, emphasizes user’s subjective feelings and emotional responses [16].
Through methods such as surveys, experiments, and user interviews, the study seeks to reveal the distinctive design features of
different brands of NEVs and determine consumer preferences and feelings about these features. This study only covers a limited
sample of representative models from prominent Chinese companies, which may limit the scope of its findings. Due to the emerging
nature of the Chinese new energy industry and unclear development strategies of companies, detailed quantitative research is not be
feasible at this stage.

2. Theoretical research and analysis

In this section, we explore theoretical frameworks and conduct in-depth analyses about the styling of new energy vehicles. The
research integrates Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) principles and Kansei Engineering methodologies. The theoretical investigation

2
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Fig. 2. Evaluation model combining KE and AHP.

in this section will lay a solid foundation for the subsequent empirical evaluation of mainstream Chinese electric car brands. By
synthesizing key concepts from both fields, the author expresses its understanding of the aesthetic considerations and design principles
that shape the visual identity of these vehicles.

2.1. Kansei engineering theory research

Kansei Engineering was first proposed by Chairman of Mazda Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manu­
facturer, in October 1986 [17]. Subsequently, Japanese scholar Mitsuo Nagamachi conducted a practical research on Kansei Engi­
neering, paving the way for its further development. Professor Yohei Harada further explored the concept of Kansei Engineering and
evaluated its potential. Kansei Engineering uses qualitative and quantitative analysis to reflect the relationship between “human
sensibility” and “object characteristics”. It transforms vague feelings into quantitative data [18]. This method uses surveys, ques­
tionnaires, and other approaches to capture consumers’ brand preferences about features of new energy vehicles. It uses surveys to
collect user feedback and conducts experiments to observe user reactions under different design scenarios. In this way, it accumulates
sensory vocabulary and match the words with users to uncover their sensory needs. The sensory engineering approach emphasizes
emotions, experiences, and intuition. Therefore, in surveys, we focus particularly on the emotions generated when users see the
exterior of new energy vehicles. The concept of Kansei Engineering has been proposed for over 50 years and scholars around the world
have conducted detailed and in-depth research about it. Based on emotional analysis from Kansei Engineering, Professor Kong
quantifies subjective evaluations of users to explore the effects of different design elements on the modeling of new energy vehicles and
its combustion engine vehicles. Finally, he validates the feasibility of this approach [19]. Kansei Engineering is a consumer-oriented
technology for a new product development developed in Japan. It becomes a popular product development technology in Japan and
around the world [20]. Ju Qinghui explored the conceptual design of Renault cars with Asian culture by combining Kansei Engineering
and hierarchical analysis and he extracted the styling-related perceptual vocabulary through Kansei Engineering. It used hierarchical
analysis to derive the relationship between the features and styles of cars and the perceptual vocabulary to reflect the indexes that
affect the evaluation of styling images [21]. Patrick Jordan is an expert in Kansei Engineering who has made significant contributions
to exterior design and user experience of cars. His research reveals users’ perceptual and emotional responses to the appearance of
automobiles and how design elements can induce specific emotions [22]. Scholars Jindo improved the interior design of cars with
semantic differential method. Based on subjective evaluation data, this method conducts multivariate analysis to find out the rela­
tionship between user perceptions and styling features [23]. According to the literature review, Kansei engineering has been widely
applied in automotive design. Sensory Engineering can help designers understand user’s emotional needs, but its results may be
subjective and difficult to interpret, so we need to have more conclusive quantification about the product’s aesthetics sense.

3
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

2.2. Theoretical research on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a multi-criteria decision-making method introduced by American operations researcher
Saaty in 1970 [24]. This method combines both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Before making decisions, it compares the weights
of various factors. The fundamental idea of AHP is to break down complex problems into elements and build a hierarchical structure
model, as shown in Table 1.
Park et al. used the AHP method to assess consumer preferences for automobile appearance in different countries and regions. They
investigated the opinions of consumers in the United States, China, and South Korea, and applied the AHP method to compare and
analyze consumer preferences in each country and region [26]. Jae Yoon et al. used the AHP method to assess the impact of different
automobile exterior designs on consumers’ attractiveness and identification in their 2013 study. Through a questionnaire surveys, they
collected consumers’ opinions and used the AHP method to analyze the weights of different design elements [27]. The Analytic Hi­
erarchy Process (AHP) is commonly applied in the design of product appearance and organizational innovation. During the product
design, it enhances the scientific and objective evaluation and improves the design solutions and decision-making [28]. AHP is used for
static decision problems and has limitations in considering users’ specific needs. With iterative product development, it is necessary to
capture users’ requirements in real time.

2.3. Evaluation model

The design of car styling includes evaluating subjective factors such as brand and appearance, as well as objective factors such as
technology and function. The hierarchical analysis method and the Kansei Engineering theory have their own strengths and weak­
nesses in evaluating the styling of electric cars [29]. Kansei Engineering focuses on subjective factors such as user perception, emotion
and cognition, and it reveals users’ feelings and preferences for electric car styling [30]. The AHP method can quantify each evaluation
factor through hierarchical structure and weight assisnment. It takes into account consider multiple criterias to make a comprehensive
evaluation of car styling. Scholars such as F Syaifoelida combine Kansei Engineering with the AHP to identify customers’ feelings about
a product and develop requirements based on customers’ needs. Studies showed that appearance will invoke emotions and is corre­
lated with product selection [31]. Therefore, the evaluation of products is crucial for product development. Scholar Zuo proposed
another research method that combines Kansei Engineering with AHP. The method categorizes evaluation indicators into subjective
ones and objective ones [32]. After combining Kansei Engineering with AHP, we can obtain user opinions and feedback through
questionnaires or focus group discussions. With more user participation, judgment matrices and criterion weights can be established at
the same time. In this way, the evaluation results will better meet users’ expectations [29].
This study is based on the following five aspects:

1) Identify representative new energy vehicle models and determine the features that affect styling imagery in the Chinese market.
2) Select the vocabulary of styling imagery using the semantic difference method in Kansei Engineering, and use the KJ method to
filter the vocabulary and determine the final vocabulary for the perceptual imagery.
3) Build the relationship between modeling features and imagery vocabulary with hierarchical analysis, and calculate the weight of
each evaluation index.
4) Conduct fuzzy and comprehensive evaluation by analyzing China’s representative new energy vehicle modeling, and adopt five
levels of evaluation.
5) Use the fuzzy and comprehensive evaluation and assign values to each evaluation to derive the scores of each modeling.

3. Screening of mainstream new energy vehicles and related sensory vocabulary in China

As sales of China-made vehicles are rising at notable rates, Chinese automakers have increased their share of the overseas market,
expanding into Europe and elsewhere through export and cooperation projects [33]. Many Chinese electric vehicle brands and au­
tomakers have emerged, such as “Li Auto Inc”, “Nio Inc”, and “XPENG Motors”. These local brands keep making technological
innovation and improving product quality to compete with traditional automakers. To meet the needs of different consumers, various
types of new energy vehicles appear in the market, including pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.
The primary data collected by the study is mainly from automotive websites. It is necessary to choose reliable and well-known
websites and compare the top three websites based on their number of downloads, word-of-mouth ratings, and the number of

Table 1
Content of the hierarchical analysis modeling.
Sequences Element

1 Determine the decision-making objectives and scope of the problem, and decompose the problem into a number of levels
2 Construct a hierarchical model that identifies the goal, the guideline, and the program
3 A two-by-two comparison of the factors at the guideline level was performed to obtain the relative importance between the factors
4 Calculate the weights of each criterion for the objectives and perform a consistency test
5 A two-by-two comparison of the program hierarchy was made to obtain the relative importance of the programs to each other
6 Calculate the score for each option and the option with the highest score will become the final decision [25].

4
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Table 2
Comparison of data from various automobile websites.
Branding Downloads (billions) Popularity rating Number of comments (million)

ERNIE Bot 45.28 4.9 261

DCar 23.92 4.8 38
BITAUTO 8 4.6 23

comments. By comparing the three indexes, the most representative website is selected as the source of product researching [34].
SevenMac Data was used to comprehensively compare the top three automotive websites in China, and the results are shown in
Table 2.
According to data analysis, “autohome” is a leading and credible online destination for automobile consumers in China (www.
autohome.com.cn) with a large and engaged user base. Therefore, it is adopted as an information source to compare different new
energy vehicles. According to the results, “Li Auto Inc” (Fig. 3), “XPENG Motors” (Fig. 4) and “Nio Inc” (Fig. 5) are three brands of new
energy vehicles that have the highest reputation and popularity in China. Moreover, we select three popular cars with similar prices
from the three car brands to be the object of this research, as shown in Table 3.

3.1. Determination of styling features

This study tries to deconstruct car styling and exmplain how the look of a vehicle will affect a user’s cognitive state. It uses
automotive styling terms to describe a car’s appearance and its relation with the function and brand [35].
Car styling features, appearance features, and functional features are decomposed to form the criterion level in the hierarchical
analysis structure. The criterion level is then divided into sub-criterion levels. The sub-criterion levels adopt Kansei Engineering to
derive vocabulary from users’ perceptual experience of car styling. The vocabulary is then used by the criterion level. The framework
of the hierarchical analysis is shown in Fig. 6.

3.2. Vocabulary from perception

First, we extracted a total of 115 perceptual vocabularies about the electric vehicle from promotional materials, interviews, related
literature, Internet reviews etc. The vocabularies focused on the “brand,” “look” and “function” of the vehicles and we eliminated
synonyms and words with minimal lexical significance. After group discussions with designers, we chose 60 perceptual (Table 4)
vocabularies and use the semantic differential technique to further filter these words.
Following the three criteria layers of the hierarchical analysis model, the filtered perceptual terms were grouped based on “brand
features”, “appearance features”, and “functional features”. Based on the Likert scale, which is a 5-point evaluation scale, a ques­
tionnaire created, in which the perceptual words were categorized into “extremely important”, “very important”, “moderately
important”, “slightly important”, “not at all important”. They were assigned scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, respectively [36]. We invited fifteen
interviewees to fill the questionnaires and mark the perceptual words, including five professors, designers and users of related in­
dustrial design. Finally, we sorted out perceptual words based on the average scores, and picked up the most representative perceptual
words within the three sub-criteria levels. These perceptual words were used as the evaluation rules for the sub-criteria layers. The
hierarchical analysis is shown in Table 5.

4. Evaluation of stylistic imagery for new energy vehicles

This section evaluates the stylistic imagery for new energy vehicles. The systematic assessment adopts both the Analytic Hierarchy
Process (AHP) and Kansei Engineering to reflect the aesthetic trends of mainstream Chinese electric car brands. It provides valuable
insights into the visual perceptions and preferences in the styling of electric vehicles.

4.1. Evaluation indicators and weighting

Hierarchical analysis requires experts to compare each demand and calculate the weight of each indicator to obtain a strong

Fig. 3. “Li Auto Inc” L8.

5
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Fig. 4. “XPENG Motors” G9.

quantitative value and a weak quantitative value for the evaluation indicator. When CR < 0.1, the consistency of the judgment matrix
is within an acceptable range. Therefore, to prove is correct, the numerical calculation of the hierarchical analysis should pass the
consistency test. Otherwise, the analysis may be wrong [37].
Calculate the weights:
ai
wj = ∑
m (1)
ai
i=1

Calculate the maximum eigenvalue:

1∑ n
[AW]i
λ max = (2)
n i=1 nWi

Consistency test formula:

Fig. 5. “Nio Inc” Es6.

Table 3
Vehicle-by-vehicle data.
Brand name Price (million/RMB) Attributes

“Li Auto Inc” L8 33.98–39.98 SUV

“Nio Inc” Es6 33.80–55.40 SUV
“XPENG Motors” G9 30.99–46.99 SUV

Fig. 6. Hierarchical analysis to extract modeling feature.

6
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Table 4
Car styling words.
Serial number Elements of identity Imagery vocabulary Serial number Elements of identity Imagery vocabulary

1 Human-machine Sensible-Confusing 16 Modeling Feminine-Robust

2 Style Fashionable-vulgar 17 Innovation Unique-Universal
3 Innovation Futuristic-Backward 18 Modeling Geometric-Rounded
4 Style Sophisticated-humble 19 Style Modern-traditional
5 Design Beautiful-Ugly 20 Color Bright-Dark
6 Styling Beautiful-ugly 21 Proportion Harmonized-dissonant
7 Function Reliable-Doubtful 22 Structure Stable-Variable
8 Color Elegant-Vulgar 23 Styling Harmonious-Dissonant
9 Proportion Balanced-unbalanced 24 Structures Dynamic-smooth
10 Structure Flexible-awkward 25 Design Dynamic-indifferent
11 Color Lively-dull 26 Proportion Convenient-Contrary
12 Design Individualistic-communal 27 Function Convenient-inconvenient
13 Man-Machine Friendly-Resistant 28 Color Soft-strong
14 Structure Delicate-crude 29 Design Stylish-outdated
15 Function Safe-Dangerous 30 DETAILS Sophisticated-brutal

Table 5
Styling design evaluation index system X.
Brand characteristics Evaluation indicator A Appearance Evaluation indicator B Functional characteristic Evaluation indicator C

Modeling Soft-Rigid B1
Innovation Unique-Universal A1 Proportion Harmonized-Disordered B2 Functions Reliable-Doubtful C1
Style Fashionable-vulgar A2 Color Soft-Strong B3 Man-machine Reasonable-Confusing C2
Technology Advanced-backward A3 Design Stylish-outdated B4 Details Precise-Rude C3
Structures Delicate-rough B5

CR = CI / RI (3)

λ max − n
CI = (4)
n− 1
The consistency index (CI) determines whether the pairwise comparisons made by the decision makers are performed. The value of
RI (evaluation scale value) in AHP is calculated and analyzed by experts (Table 6) as a reference. Table 7 describes the specific
evaluation of importance.
To correctly calculate the weights for multiple criteria in the evaluation system, this study invited 9 individuals from the new
energy vehicle industry to take part. The evaluators included 3 automotive industry executives, 3 exterior designers, and 3 professors.
They provided pairwise comparisons and marked the numerical values of each criterion both in the criteria layer (Table 8) and in the
sub-criteria layer (Tables 9–11). Finally, the judgment matrix of each level was obtained.
Based on the scores assigned to each level, the weights of each sub-criterion layer are obtained. The rankings are determined based
on the weight of each evaluation indicator, as shown in Table 12.
When assessing the design of electric cars, the functionality of a car plays a more significant part. Furthermore, the aesthetic appeal
of the vehicle also carries a significant weight in how it is generally perceived. To better understand the three electric car brands in
China and determine whose design is the best, it is necessary to grasp the styling trends in Chinese new energy vehicle market.
Therefore, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used for scoring and provide ideas for future development.

4.2. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation

Fuzzy set theory was proposed by Zadeh in 1965 as an extension of the classical notion of a set (Zadeh, 1965). With the proposed
methodology, Zadeh introduced a mathematic method with which decision-making using fuzzy descriptions of some information
becomes possible. This method allows for clear and systematic resolution of problems that cannot be precisely quantified [38,39].
Based on the rankings of the evaluation indicators, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was performed to quantify the evaluation
indicators in an objective way. Therefore, the evaluation indicators of the selected new energy vehicles can be transformed into:
Organize the weight vectors of indicators at each level in the evaluation system: wx = (0.123 0.557 0.320), wA =
(0.539 0.164 0.297), wB = ((0.329 0.210 0.076 0.143 0.241)), wC = (0.608 0.272 0.120).

Table 6
RI value.
Order (n) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

RI 0 0 0.52 0.89 1.12 1.26 1.36 1.41 1.46 0.49 0.52 1.54 1.56

7
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Table 7
Judgment matrix scale.
Scale Rating Hidden meaning

1 Equally important Indicator i is equally important as j

3 Slightly important Indicator i is slightly more important than indicator j
5 Significantly important Indicator i is significantly more important than indicator j
7 Strongly important Indicator i is more strongly important than indicator j
9 Extremely important Indicator i is more important than indicator j
2/4/6/8 Intermediate is the middle of the above values
Reciprocal Inverse Comparison The inverse of indicator i over indicator j, i.e. 1/ aij

Table 8
Criterion level judgment matrix and weights.
Criteria Laye (X) A B C wx

A 1 1/4 1/3 0.123

B 4 1 2 0.557
C 3 1/2 1 0.320
CI = 0.009; RI = 0.520; CR = 0.018

Table 9
Brand identity evaluation indicators and weights.
Criteria Laye (A) A1 A2 A3 wA

A1 1 3 2 0.539
A2 1/3 1 1/2 0.164
A3 1/2 2 1 0.297
CI = 0.005; RI = 0.520; CR = 0.009

Table 10
Appearance evaluation indicators and weights.
Criteria Laye (B) B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 wB

B1 1 2 4 2 4/3 0.329
B2 1/2 1 3 3/2 1 0.210
B3 1/4 1/3 1 1/2 1/3 0.076
B4 1/2 2/3 2 1 1/2 0.143
B5 3/4 1 3 2 1 0.241
CI = 0.007; RI = 1.120; CR = 0.007

Table 11
Function Evaluation indicators and weights.
Criteria Laye (C) C1 C2 C3 wC

C1 1 3 4 0.608
C2 1/3 1 3 0.272
C3 1/4 1/3 1 0.120
CI = 0.037; RI = 0.520; CR = 0.071

Determine the evaluation levels and criteria for fuzzy comprehensive evaluation: Very Good, Good, Bad, Very Bad (Table 13).
Assign values to each level using the notation M = (90 80 70 60 50 )T .
During the investigation, 4 industry experts, 3 users, and 3 relevant designers were invited to evaluate the samples of the three
selected electric vehicles. Taking “Nio Inc” car as an example, the evaluators scored each indicator based on the fuzzy evaluation and
the criteria of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). For each evaluation indicator level, the number of evaluations was summarized. If
the sub-criterion layer A1 is evaluated as “Very Good” for five times, it is recorded as 0.5 (assuming that there was a total of 10
evaluators, the five “Very Good” evaluations was then normalized to 0.5). In this case, matrix D1 represented the fuzzy evaluation
matrix for indicators in criterion layer A; matrix D2 represents the fuzzy evaluation matrix for indicators in criterion layer B; and matrix
⎧
⎨ 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0
D3 represents the fuzzy evaluation matrix for indicators in criterion layer C. The final results are as follows: D1 = 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.1 0 ,
⎩
0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0

8
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Table 12
Ranking of the evaluation indicator.
A B C w Ranking

A1 0.539 – – 0.066 7
A2 0.164 – – 0.020 11
A3 0.297 – – 0.037 10
B1 – 0.329 – 0.183 2
B2 – 0.210 – 0.117 4
B3 – 0.076 – 0.042 8
B4 – 0.143 – 0.079 6
B5 – 0.241 – 0.134 3
C1 – – 0.608 0.195 1
C2 – – 0.272 0.087 5
C3 – – 0.120 0.038 9

Table 13
Evaluation levels and criteria.
Rating Very good Good Okay Bad Very bad

Scores 90 80 70 60 50

⎧
⎪
⎪ 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 0 ⎧
⎪
⎨ 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 0
⎪ ⎨ 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 0
D2 = 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.1 0 , D3 = 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0 .
⎪ ⎩
⎪
⎪
⎪ 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0
⎩
0.3 0.1 0.4 0.2 0
Calculate the evaluation weights of the criterion layer for the “Nio Inc” car using the formula: Pn = Wn ∗ Dn , the results are as
follows: P1 = W1 ∗ D1 = (0.378 0.233 0.259 0.130 0.000), P2 = W2 ∗ D2 = (0.341 0.204 0.315 0.138 0.000), P3 = W3 ∗ D3 =
(0.349 0.239 0.273 0.139 0.000).
Based on the results, the second-level evaluation matrix for fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is established:
⎧
⎨ P1 (0.378 0.233 0.259 0.130 0.000)
P = P2 (0.341 0.204 0.315 0.138 0.000) .
⎩
P3 (0.349 0.239 0.273 0.139 0.000)

Based on the evaluation matrix and the criterion layer weight ratios, the percentage values for the scheme can be summarized as
W = WX *P = (0.348 0.219 0.295 0.137). The final score for the “Nio Inc” car is (0.348 0.219 0.295 0.137) (90 80 70 60) T = 77.71.
Following the same process, the final scores for the other two brands are as follows: “Li Auto Inc”: 76.54 and “XPENG Motors”: 75.32.
With the highest score among the three brands, the “Nio Inc” car is considered to have the best exterior design.

5. Conclusion

To evaluate designs, the methods of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Kansei Engineering have their own advantages and
limitations. Integrating the two methods makes the evaluation indicators more redible and accurate. With the assistance of both
methods, evaluation results can better reflect the intuition of consumers and can be conveniently compared. In this way, designers can
more efficiently manage resources by knowing which elements will significantly affect the user experience. This study adopts a more
scientific approach to select samples of emerging new energy car brands in the Chinese market:“XPENG Motors,” “Li Auto Inc,” and
“Nio Inc.” Next, the method of Kansei Engineering was adopted to categorize car styling features and select representative perceptual
words. Then it used hierarchical analysis to determine the weight ratios of each feature. According to the weight analysis, the top three
factors that determine the impression of an electric car included the car’s functionality (whether it is safe and reliable), the car styling,
and car structure. When developing electric cars, these aspects should be given particular attention. Besides, this study used the fuzzy
comprehensive evaluation to evaluate the market trends, based on which it ranked the three cars brands. The results showed that the
“Nio Inc” car has a good styling in the current Chinese new energy vehicle market. The study also assessed the differences among the
selected brand models. Due to time and resource constraints, this study mainly focused on mainstream electric car brands in China and
may miss some new energy vehicle brands. Future research can expand the sample pool to include more brands for more compre­
hensive results and better understanding of aesthetic preferences in the Chinese market. Moreover, the study may not cover the latest
changes in the industry because it develops in a stunning speed. Therefore, subsequent research could focus on new technologies and
keep up with the design trends and market dynamics. Further research could also delve into how user involvement will affect the
exterior design of new energy vehicles and how user-centric approaches will improve decision-making. In conclusion, the combination
of both AHP and Kansei Engineering provides a more objective evaluation for products. This study validates its feasibility and provides
a reference for future research.

9
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

Ethics statement

The research has been reviewed and approved by the Faculty Ethics Committee to ensure the ethicalsoundness and safety of the
research. The research team started to recruit students from December 7, 2022 andfinish all questionnaire collection in May 6, 2023.
The students who agreed to participate in theresearch completed the corresponding learning tasks and simulation exercises according
to the teachingrequirements, and filled in the anonymous questionnaire at the end of the course. Meanwhile, the researchteam asked
the consent of some students and conducted personal interviews.

Data availability statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are all in the manuscript.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Yuzhe Qi: Writing – original draft, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Kiesu Kim: Writing – review & editing,
Methodology, Formal analysis.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

This study received no funding.

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26999.

References

[1] https://www.dongchedi.com, 2023.

[2] J. He, Analysis of the influencing factors of new energy vehicle questionnaire based on the rooting theory: the case of “Li Auto Inc” ONE, Bus. Manag. 40 (No.5)
(2023) 163–275.
[3] Y. Chen, Research on collaborative innovation of key common technologies in new energy vehicle industry based on digital twin technology, Energy Rep. 8
(2022) 15399–15407.
[4] Z. Jiang, C. Xu, Policy incentives, government subsidies, and technological innovation in new energy vehicle enterprises: evidence from China, Energy Pol. 177
(2023) 113527.
[5] B. Zhu, Y. Sun, J. Zhao, J. Han, P. Zhang, T. Fan, A critical scenario search method for intelligent vehicle testing based on the social cognitive optimization
algorithm, IEEE Trans. Intell. Transport. Syst. 24 (8) (2023) 7974–7986.
[6] J.W. Xu, X.Q. Zhang, S.H. Park, K. Guo, The alleviation of perceptual blindness during driving in urban areas guided by saccades recommendation, IEEE Trans.
Intell. Transport. Syst. (2022) 1–11.
[7] J.W. Xu, S.H. Park, X.Q. Zhang, K. He, The improvement of road driving safety guided by visual inattentional blindness, IEEE Trans. Intell. Transport. Syst. 23
(6) (2022) 4972–4981.
[8] E.L. Millner, G.E. Hoffer, A re-examination of the impact of automotive styling on demand, Appl. Econ. 25 (1) (1993) 101–110.
[9] Y. Tang, Y. Zeng, Y. Tao, Research on the development of automobile styling design in the context of new energy technology development, Times Automobile
(2) (2023) 119–121.
[10] K.H. Hyun, J.H. Lee, M. Kim, S. Cho, Style synthesis and analysis of car designs for style quantification based on product appearance similarities, Adv. Eng. Inf.
29 (3) (2015) 483–494.
[11] C. Liu, Research on Emotional Design Method of Automobile Styling Based on Perceptual Engineering and Online Review Analysis, Anhui University of
Engineering, 2022.
[12] X.W. Zhou, Research on Front Face Imagery Shell Styling Design of Sedan Based on Gestalt Psychology, Jiangsu University, 2021.
[13] Z.P. Wang, Research on the Conceptual Design of Future New Energy Vehicle Styling, Chongqing Gongshang University, 2023.
[14] A.N. Donald, The Design of Everyday Things, Basic books, 1998.
[15] R. de Fsm Russo, R. Camanho, Criteria in AHP: a systematic review of literature, Procedia Comput. Sci. 55 (2015) 1123–1132.
[16] T.N. Reid, B.D. Frischknecht, P.Y. Papalambros, Perceptual attributes in product design: fuel economy and silhouette-based perceived environmental
friendliness tradeoffs in automotive vehicle design, J. Mech. Des. 134 (4) (2012) 1–9.
[17] Y. Li, New concept of design: sensual engineering, New Art (4) (2003) 20–25.
[18] Y. Cheng, S. Xu, G. Chen, Evaluation of engineering vehicle styling design based on hierarchical analysis method and perceptual engineering, Packag. Eng. 41
(No.20) (2020) 85–90.
[19] D. Kong, Y. Huang, S. Ma, Affective evaluation method for automobile styling design based on sentiment analysis, J. Tongji Univ. 50 (12) (2022) 1817–1824.
[20] M. Nagamachi, Kansei engineering and its applications, Jpn. J. Ergon. 32 (6) (1996) 286–289.
[21] Q. Ju, J. Huang, J. Ruan, Fuzzy evaluation of electric concept car based on KE-AHP, J. Hubei Inst. Automobile Ind. 35 (No.3) (2021) 68–72+76.
[22] A. Lindgren, F. Chen, P.W. Jordan, P. Ljungstrand, Cross-cultural issues and driver requirements for advanced driver assistance systems, in: Proceedings of the
2nd International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2008.
[23] T. Jindo, K. Hirasago, Application studies to car interior of Kansei engineering, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 19 (2) (1997) 105–114.

10
Y. Qi and K. Kim Heliyon 10 (2024) e26999

[24] T.L. Saaty, What Is the Analytic Hierarchy Process? Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1988, pp. 109–121.
[25] R.W. Saaty, The analytic hierarchy process—what it is and how it is used, Math. Model. 9 (3–5) (1987) 161–176.
[26] J. Park, J. Kang, S. Kim, K. Ryu, Country-of-origin effects on consumer evaluations of automobile designs: a multi-country study, Int. J. Automot. Technol. 13 (2)
(2012) 181–188.
[27] J. Yoon, J. Kim, S. Kim, Consumer preference for automotive brand logo design: an application of analytic hierarchy process, Int. J. Ind. Eng. Manag. 4 (2)
(2013) 65–70.
[28] Y. Cheng, S. Xu, Research on multidimensional imagery evaluation model of automobile interior and exterior styling, Manuf. Autom. 44 (10) (2022) 115–119+
178.
[29] Y. Cheng, S. Xu, J. Bu, G. Tang, Research on evaluation method of automobile styling imagery based on KE and AHP theory, Mod. Manuf. Eng. (7) (2020)
102–109.
[30] M. Nagamachi, Kansei engineering: a new ergonomic consumer-oriented technology for product development, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 15 (1) (1995) 3–11.
[31] F. Syaifoelida, M.A.M. Hamdan, M.R. Eqwan, I. Nazmi, An analysis to determine the priority emotional design in Kansei Engineering by using the AHP approach
in product development, Int. J. Eng. Manag. Res. (IJEMR) 8 (6) (2018) 151–156.
[32] Y. Zuo, Z. Wang, Subjective product evaluation system based on Kansei Engineering and analytic hierarchy process, Symmetry 12 (8) (2020) 1340.
[33] M. Yao, The "China Era" of the Automobile Industry, China Energy News, 2023, p. 17.
[34] K. Wang, Y. Li, B. Hu, Research on voluntary innovation driving factors of new energy automobile enterprises based on rooting theory, Technol. Innov. Manag.
42 (4) (2021) 391–398.
[35] A.E. Akgün, H. Keskin, J. Byrne, Antecedents and contingent effects of organizational adaptive capability on firm product innovativeness, J. Prod. Innovat.
Manag. 29 (2012) 171–189.
[36] Y. Qi, X. Zhang, Design improvement method of elderly household blood glucose meter integrating KANO model and Kansei engineering: take the Chinese
elderly as an example, in: Proc. SPIE: International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Design (AIID 2022) 12612, 2023, pp. 155–161.
[37] R. Russo, R. Camanho, Criteria in AHP: a systematic review of literature, Procedia Comput. Sci. 55 (2015) 1123–1132.
[38] J. Li, J. Zu, Y. Wang, Z.Y. Zhu, Design of children’s early learning machine based on AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, Packag. Eng. 42 (No.2)
(2021) 118–122+142.
[39] S. Akin Bas, B. Ahlatcioglu Ozkok, Green vehicle routing model via linear fractional programming: a retail case study for marmara region, Türkiye, Int. J. Ind.
Eng.: Theory, Appl. Pract. 30 (4) (2023) 933–994.

11