A recently published study showed that consumers are largely indifferent to high profile automotive infotainment initiatives from Apple and Google. Consumers are reportedly exhibiting more interest in practical car technology such as blind spot detection and lumbar seat adjustment. Despite the capital infusions into projects such as CarPlay and Android Auto, consumers don’t seem to be persuaded that connected technology improves the driving experience according to the J.D. Power 2015 Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience Report.
The study was conducted from April through June 2015, asking more than 4,200 new car owners and lessees about their experience with 33 technology features during the first 90 days of ownership. As expected, when integrating new technology into systems that constantly evolve, at least 205 of the respondents didn’t use 16 of the measured features. More specifically, the number of drivers who “never use” in-vehicle concierge stood at roughly 43%, mobile routers at 38%, automatic parking systems at 35%, heads-up display at 33% and built-in apps at 32%. More importantly, 37% and 38% of respondents said that they didn’t want CarPlay and Android Auto (respectively), in their car, landing the two infotainment systems on an inauspicious list of most unwanted vehicle technologies.
The number one most unwelcomed piece of technology was rear-seat entertainment with 58% of those polled stating they didn’t want it. Massaging seats came in second followed by in-vehicle concierge and automatic parking. What was more important was that consumers are obliged to have some sort of smartphone compatibility in their next vehicle as 84% did say that they wanted a “phone pairing system.” This type of technology typically comes standard on many basic in-car entertainment systems. Topping off the top-five list of most-wanted technology was blind spot warning and detection, fuel economy indicator and seat lumbar adjustment.
For those of you who didn’t know, Apple announced the evolution of “iOS in the Car” in March 2014. Since then, Apple CarPlay has seen wide industry interest culminating in pledged support from all major manufacturers. More recently, both Honda and Volkswagen announced the upcoming compatibility in select 2016 models. We’ll have to see if trends change going forward.
How do you feel about the technology? Share your thoughts below!
Source: JD Power via Fortune
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