IHS Markit Survey finds varied autonomy and safety technology preferences for new vehicles

A new IHS Markit survey of five key automotive markets—the US, Canada, China, Germany and the United Kingdom—found that full autonomy technology is not yet popular among a broad audience. On the other hand, the same audience ranked it among the very features they would be willing to pay the most for in their next new vehicle purchase.

Responses from more than 5,000 vehicle owners intending to purchase a new vehicle within the next 36 months were reviewed in the 2017 Autonomous Driving and Urban Mobility Consumer Analysis. This is the fifth annual survey of its kind from IHS Markit and identified key attributes for consumers, providing insight into preferences, desires and future interest as new vehicle intenders return to market. A number of subjects were covered.

Blind spot detection ranked highest as the most desired features among all audiences, young and old, and propensity to pay for it varied by region, with the US respondents reporting they would be willing to pay significantly more for the technology than consumers in other regions.

• In terms of ADAS safety features like automatic emergency braking and blind spot detection, consumers wanted to see these features standard across the board. There is a large subset of consumers who are willing to pay for full autonomy features demonstrating that consumers see this more as a value-add rather than a necessary safety component, at least for now.
  
  —Colin Bird, senior automotive technology analyst for IHS Markit and co-author

Just 44% of all respondents indicated that full autonomy would be a desirable feature on their next car, the lowest rank of all of the technologies included in this subsection of the survey. Price points varied by country, with US consumers indicating they would pay the highest price to have the feature in their next new vehicle. . . .

From a global perspective, highway autopilot also was mentioned as a top technology among consumers surveyed from all regions, but also at a variety of costs. US consumers indicated a willingness to pay $107 more than their nearest counterparts to have their next new vehicle equipped with the technology.

The survey also researched comfort level with vehicle technology by age of the respondent groups. Across all geographies, younger drivers, including Millennials and Generation Z respondents, were more interested in full autonomy than other generational groups, with 61% suggesting it as a feature of interest in their next new vehicle. Generation X, baby boomers and the swing generation all trail in level of interest significantly, even though these new and evolving technologies will present the greatest opportunity to make transportation and mobility easier for older generations. . . .

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