AutoTrader in its 2014 In-Vehicle Technology Shopper Influence Study showed how vehicle technology influences car and truck buying decisions.
Vehicle owners give great priory to safety features over infotainment (84 percent). Blind spot detection and back-up cameras/sensors top the safety list.
Car owners are leery of fully autonomous vehicles and 65% of owners think self-driving cars are a dangerous idea. However:
- 61% will consider a model with autonomous safety features like park assist and collision avoidance on their next purchase.
- 38% of vehicle owners would like more time in the vehicle during a test drive to get an education on a vehicle’s technology and safety features but what potential buyers want (30%) would like to take the vehicle home overnight to test the features out on their own.
- More than three-quarters of owners would prefer to have one in-vehicle tech feature that’s easy to use instead of a difficult-to-understand system that has all the features they want.
- Easy of use is very important, 48% say they would walk away from a vehicle they liked if the technology was perceived to be too difficult to use.
- 48% surveyed think it should take less than 15 minutes to figure out how to use all of the technology features in a new vehicle.
- 38 percent of vehicle owners would delay their next purchase by 6 months or more to get all of the in-car tech features they want.
- 69% of vehicle owners would prefer that the vehicle have the technology features they want as opposed to being the color they want.
- Only 16% give infotainment system priority over safety features.
Car makers should beware because 56 percent of American vehicle owners say they would be willing to switch brands to get the features they want.