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Car makers may be investing a lot of money in advanced driver assistance and connected car systems, but it turns out that most of the advanced technology features that today's modern vehicles are equipped with are often not used by drivers. According to a new study from J.D. Power, many in-car connectivity and high-tech driver assistance features are ignored by U.S. drivers, which suggests that the billions of dollars that automakers invest in these technologies do not create significant value.
J.D. Power has released the 2015 Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience (DrIVE) Report, which clearly states that many car owners neglect new car technologies, even though they are aimed at improving the overall driving experience. J.D. Power surveyed a total of 4,200 new-car owners during the first 90 days after purchasing their vehicle, trying to measure how often drivers use specific technology features. Car owners were given a list of 33 features, with 20 percent of them responding that they have never used 16 of those features.
Researchers say that car owners usually decide whether they will use a given technological feature on a regular basis during the first 30 days after purchasing their vehicle. "The first 30 days are critical. That first-time experience with the technology is the make-it-or-break-it stage," said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & HMI research at J.D. Power. "Automakers need to get it right the first time, or owners will simply use their own mobile device instead of the in-vehicle technology."
Drivers noted several reasons as to why they don't use certain features, with some stating that they didn't even know they had those features in their cars, and others saying that it's because the dealership didn't explain how the features work.
"The DrIVE Report looks at the experience that consumers have with technology in order to understand if it is intuitive, provides value and works, regardless of the model purchased," said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. Auto Quality at J.D. Power. "By better understanding what consumers are looking for, what their expectations are, and what their ideal experience is, automakers can best decide how to meet those needs in the most efficient and cost effective manner."
According to the report, the most neglected feature is in-vehicle concierge, with 43% of respondents saying they have never used it, followed by mobile routers for wireless Internet (38%), automatic parking systems (35%), head-up display (33%), and built-in apps (32%).
Furthermore, researchers found that there are a lot of features that many drivers don't even want to have in their cars, as 20% of those surveyed said that they don't want 14 of the 33 technologies measured in the survey. The features deemed unnecessary by drivers include Google Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with in-car text messaging via voice commands.
Another interesting finding is that Millennials (those between the ages of 21 and 38) are even less in favor of new car tech features, with 20% of them responding that they don't want 23 of the 33 technologies. This comes as a bit of a surprise, because one of the main reasons why automakers install so many advanced infotainment and safety features in new vehicles is the attempt to appeal to the younger car buyer, and this survey shows that younger consumers are not that interested in those features.
What the results of this survey suggest is that there is probably no need for automakers to invest so much money in advanced high-tech features to attract younger buyers, who definitely tend to rely more on their smartphones and other mobile devices for entertainment and connectivity purposes while driving, rather than expensive built-in infotainment systems.
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