Consumers Will Wait And Pay More For In-Car Tech

Autotrader.com has released the results of its car impact study. The findings associated with this research are based upon a Harris poll study of 1,033 U.S. vehicle owners during late October 2014. The study suggests that consumers are quite interested in the latest and greatest in-car technology.

Michelle Krebs, Senior Analyst with Autotrader.com spoke about this study in a statement. Krebs said, “Consumer electronics are quickly becoming a spectacle in the automotive industry thanks to the development and demand for car technology.”

The results of this study were distributed via a press release on January 5th. This occurred during the week of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which is a popular showcase for in-car technology. Automakers developing vehicle technology may note that the Harris poll points to consumers wanting bigger and better vehicle in-car tech. 50 percent of those polled said that they’d wait a year or more for the right in-car gadgets, with 51 percent saying that they’d pay $1,499 in addition to their sale price to have their desired in-car technology.

One of the unveilings by Volkswagen that we reported on yesterday may not be as appealing to consumers as previously thought. Volkswagen announced an upgrade to their infotainment system, which will allow Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay. Both systems operate using a smart phone plugged into the vehicle. However, the results of the Autotrader.com study indicate that 76 percent of respondents don’t expect a vehicle to do all that a smartphone can do. A surprising 80 percent of those polled prefer a built in vehicle GPS to that of their smartphone. 48 percent of respondents feel automakers should invest in generic smartphone-based systems like CarPlay. This is in contrast to 51 percent who felt that automakers should invest in their own systems independent of smart phones. The study also found that the most desirable features for motorists are backup cameras, onboard Wi-Fi and smartphone charging ports.

What do you think dealers can make of this study? Consumers appear ready to both wait and pay for the right vehicle technology. How can dealers be prepared to help customers who want certain in-car technology?