Drivers are steering clear of some new technology in cars, according to a survey released Tuesday, raising questions about whether car makers are moving too quickly to incorporate sophisticated technology.
This surprised me a lot when I first read it. Then I saw the numbers:
But the 2015 Drive Report from market research company JD Power found that 20 percent of new car owners had still not used approximately half of the technology features available in their vehicles after three months of purchase – the period after which drivers are less likely to adopt new features, researchers say.
Another way to say it is that 80 percent of drivers are using the technology. It makes sense that some tech systems in cars are not being used either because of the drivers age (older people may not like the technology) or because they are using a smartphone with similar technology. It seems the headline was written before the story in this case.
With cars its like with TVs, once you own a set top box, you just want a great display and no “smart” rubbish. Once you can connect your phone to your car via CarPlay etc, you don’t want the car-rubbish.
I agree.
“The most underused feature was in-vehicle concierge systems that can recommend nearby restaurants or gas stations.”
Why would anyone use this “feature”?
We have phones with apps. Apps such as Yelp.
We all buy 99% of our petrol at the same 3 stations that we already use.
The “technology” may not be being used because it is poorly implemented too.
From the article: “35 percent of new car owners never used their automatic parking systems”
Probably at least that many people don’t have the occasion to parallel park, with only a single open spot between cars.
Also the concierge services (Onstar being the best known example) are generally an extra subscription cost.
When I bought a car this spring, I specifically sought out vehicles that did NOT have fully-integrated touch-enabled infotainment systems. It was difficult to find any like that. I’ll install a third-party receiver and use my iPhone for the rest.
The most underused feature was in-vehicle
concierge systems that can recommend nearby restaurants or gas stations.
It was not used by 43 percent of respondents and followed by mobile
routers that turn a car into a Wifi hot spot, unused by 38 percent
Yeah.
I would use my phone for both of those, especially the latter, given the rates/caps the in-car ones tend to have.
(I recall seeing a car ad lately, can’t remember for which make, comparing theirs vs. Toyota, and saying “if you have a Toyota, your kids won’t be able to stream their movies on their tablets!”
To which my immediate reply was “if you can afford those kind of data rates, you could be driving a Lexus instead of a Toyota, also just download the damned thing to their tablets”.)
People who’re out of town, typically.
And if you don’t have a co-pilot, I can imagine it being more useful to do that via voice command or wheel controls, than fiddle with a phone.
But I’m amazed the use rate was 57%.
And that’s 35% of the people who had parking systems, which are not remotely common.
Even with 4,200 surveyed, I’d love to know what the sample size for “had a parking system at all” was, because it’s not a common feature, especially in the non-stacked-luxury market.
Next at 11, not every swimmer drowns!
I have used the automated parking system in my BMW once (when it was new). I just do not have the patience for this (I do it in a third of the time). Parallel parking is not that difficult.
Reality is much worse. My girlfriend came home very happy a few weeks ago. “My car has a horn!”. (She found that out when she hit her purse on the steering wheel to search for whatever… she has this car since almost three years 🙂
I would have loved to been in the car watching you with your arms folded waiting for the car to parallel park itself. : )
“Oh my god, turn already!”
Actually, it was much more like a pretty colorful Lewis Black impersonation 🙂
Either way… Pissed off. : D
If you have CarPlay with a Siri steering wheel button, it’s still simple to command it with your voice and the tech is a whole lot better.
One problem is a lot of this tech in a car becomes obsolete after the first three months! That is why Car Play and Andriod Pay are so Intriguing.
Ever tried the Maps in a car after three months and charging absorbent prices to update it! Plus have you had a voice system that seemed it was developed by a child?
We still are unsure as to what smart tech will ultimately be useful in vehicles.
I bought a car in 2010 and I just paired my phone using Bluetooth for my in car audio needs. It wasn’t until 3 years later that I discovered that the car had a Sirius receiver in it.
some drivers are steering clear of the technology installed in their cars because it’s total crap. the stunned notion of putting instantly obsolete “touchscreen” (scare quotes because it’s more bash than touch) computers into an already dangerous distracted environment has to be one of the greater crimes of the auto industry in this decade. even better given how easily hacked the garbage is ….
/rant (wipes spittle off chin)
I believe car makers are still under the illusion their products are anything more than just city-comfort-capsules. Nobody replaces a 10h train ride or a 3h flight with driving if they can avoid it.