People want vehicle technology that lets them be productive in the car and are now paying more attention to infotainment features like wireless connectivity and HD Radio.
Those are among the findings of a new J.D. Power and Associates survey, “2012 U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study.” While safety has historically been and still is a big part of what consumers want on a new car, the desire for technology that lets people be connected and productive is growing.
“While vehicle owners remain very interested in technologies that make their vehicle safer, they are turning their attention more and more toward features and technologies that allow them to be productive, connected and entertained while in their vehicles,” states Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power.
Before price was mentioned, respondents ranked interest in features like LED headlights (70%), voice-activation (69%) and wireless connectivity (68%). HD Radio was not among the top five before price was mentioned.
However, HD Radio tops the list of the features generating the most interest (52%), once price was mentioned, in this case $100. It’s notable that interest in wireless connectivity drops — from 68% to 42% — once a price of $300 was revealed.
Collision mitigation priced at $750 garnered 46% of interest by respondents followed by surround-view camera display at $550.
J.D. Power fielded the study of some 17,400 vehicle owners in March.
