(WWJ) It’s been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Apparently, the way to a car buyers heart is through another part of the anatomy.
“Our top 15 is headed off by heated seats this year,” says AutoPacific President and Chief Analyst Ed Kim, as he revealed the company’s annual list of features that buyers want in their new vehicles..
“Heated seats are something that have become very common in new cars,” says Kim. “Even, just like kind of mainstream mid-grade cars, all seem to come with heated seats now.”
The study, now in its fifth year, talks with 19 thousand licensed drivers who intend to buy a new vehicle within the next three years.
Many of the features involve safety or driver assistance. Kim says they include lane keeping and blind spot detection, along with automatic braking and large animal detection.
“Safety is something that always sells. If a consumer perceives a feature to add to safety, they are more likely to stretch their budget to fit it in.”
Kim says drivers who have hands free systems like GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise enjoy them and plan to get them in their next vehicles. Those who haven’t used the technology seem to be less interested in vehicle automation in general.
Most wanted features
AutoPacific Photo
While some companies, General Motors in particular, are taking connectivity features like Apple Car Play and Android Auto out of their vehicles, and putting in their own systems, customers seem to feel differently. They overwhelmingly prefer the systems that mirror their phones in their vehicles.
“It’s a very simple plug and play thing,” says Kim. “You’ve got your phone and, voila, you’ve got a very similar interface on your infotainment screen. It’s just something that people understand.”
Six features that are on the list this year were on last year’s list, while nine are brand new. While previous years lists have featured new technologies, Kim says many of this year’s most wanted features are more practical. He sees this as a changing customer mood due to uncertain times.
“What we believe is going on is, this being a reflection of basically all the consumer headwinds that people are facing right now.”
