'Leading Edge Consumers' Leaning Towards Connected Cars

NUREMBERG, Germany, March 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

• 'Ultra safe' car concept most popular across all drivers, followed by 'data tracker' - a car that runs diagnostics, checks repair costs and automatically records accident data
• Emergency braking, pre-incident preparation and sense & communicate key data are most appealing safety features
• Leading edge consumers prefer 'in-car voice recognition', while general consumers go for 'point of interest search', such as parking spots.

In a survey across Brazil, Germany, Russia, the UK, the US and China, GfK asked 5,800 consumers to rate the appeal of different types of connected car concepts. A segment that GfK identifies as 'leading edge consumers' (LEC) consistently showed higher numbers rating all these concepts as very or extremely appealing, compared to general consumers.

Frank Härtl, Global Lead for Automotive at GfK, comments, "Leading edge consumers are doubly valuable to the automotive industry. They are a clear 'hot opportunity' for sales of connected cars - and they also give early indicators of where the rest of the market might follow, as the idea of connected cars becomes more embedded and popular."

For both LECs and general consumers, the two most appealing concepts are ultra-safe, a car that makes driving as safe as possible through connectivity with other cars and integrated cameras (96 and 87 percent respectively), followed by data tracker, a car that tracks usage, runs diagnostics, checks repair costs and automatically records accident data (91 and 79 percent respectively).  

Third place is split, with LECs preferring a car that knows their entertainment preferences (90 percent) and general consumers opting for 'self-sufficient' - a strong but light electric car (73 percent).

The last-placed car concept for both groups is an autonomous car - but, despite coming below the other concepts offered, this still shows high levels of appeal, standing at well over three-quarters of LECs (81 percent) and two-thirds of general consumers (66 percent).

Entertainment and connectivity appeal 

Entertainment and connectivity options scored very highly with LECs, with in-car voice recognition having the most appeal (86 percent), following by in-car wi-fi hotspots and in-car video and event recorders (both 84 percent) and point-of-interest search, such as parking spots (83 percent). In-car entertainment came last, but still with an impressive 79 percent saying it appeals to them.

This level of appeal is particularly interesting when compared to general consumers. In this group, point of interest search was the most popular facility but still only has 57 percent saying it appeals to them. This is followed by in-car voice recognition, in-car wi-fi hotspots and in-car video and event recorders, all with 56 percent. And in-car entertainment again came last, with under half showing interest (47 percent).

View the infographic: http://www.gfk.com/Documents/GfK_ConnectedCar_Infographic.pdf

About the survey 

GfK interviewed 5,800 consumers aged 16 and over, who hold a driving license, in Brazil, Germany, Russia, UK, US and China. Fieldwork was conducted up to November 2014. To qualify as a leading edge consumer, people must meet at least two of three specific criteria: early adopter, influential and passionate about shopping.

Contact: Frank Härtl, Global Lead for Automotive, GfK - frank.haertl@gfk.com , +49-911-395-3772.