Drivers Uninterested In Many Of The New High-Tech Features
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It can hardly be denied that in recent years, automobiles have inched their way toward becoming full-fledged “computers on wheels.” There are, of course, the technological additions that no one particularly notices, such as increasingly computerized engine management systems, real-time suspension controllers, etc. But then there are those features which have less to do with how the car drives, and more to do with what the occupants can do while in it.
It’s that second category of high-tech vehicle features that we’re interested in, because according to CNBC, the majority of drivers on US roads couldn’t care less about it.
That assertion is based on research conducted by J.D. Power, which suggests that recent, high-tech additions to the automobile such as rear seat entertainment, automated parking systems, and massaging chairs represent some of the least-desired features in the modern automobile. Even for the tasks of navigation and music streaming, reports CNBC, car and truck buyers would much rather rely on the familiarity of their smartphones than entrust those things to a new, high-tech infotainment system.
According to the J.D. Power data, which was generated by surveying some 4,200 vehicle owners after 90 days of ownership, the least desirable high-tech automobile features (and the percentage of buyers who don’t want them) are:
- Rear seat entertainment (58 percent)
- Massaging seats (47 percent)
- In-vehicle concierge (44 percent)
- Automated parking system (39 percent)
- Android Auto (38 percent)
- Apple CarPlay (37 percent)
Of course, it’s important to note that in the cases of those last two high-tech items, both infotainment systems are fairly recent additions to the list of available features, and are not yet available on a wide variety of makes and models.