Top 10 Features and Gadgets Car Shoppers Want the Most
Modern vehicles have become extremely sophisticated, connected and intelligent. Automakers are packing all sorts of cutting-edge features and technologies into their cars, trucks and SUVs to hopefully attract more customers.
The many types of electronic driver assistance systems are one example. Communication and entertainment devices are another. And yet, it’s not always what people really want.
Ask 10 of your friends and relatives about the items they would most like to find in their next vehicle and you’ll probably get 10 different answers, including a few surprising ones. That’s what U.S. automotive marketing research firm AutoPacific did recently. It surveyed nearly 12,000 people who are planning to buy a new vehicle sometime within the next three years.
When given around 100 different choices, respondents identified the following 10 features and gadgets as the ones they would like to have the most:
- LED fog lights
- Wireless device charging (front row of seats)
- Unresponsive driver stop assist
- Automatic power folding mirrors
- Wireless device charging (rear row of seats)
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Household 120-volt power outlet
- Sunroof
- Self-cleaning exterior cameras and sensors
- Driver profile settings
There’s something for everyone on that list, isn’t there? Comfort, safety, technology, convenience, even visibility. Who would have guessed that fog lights are the No. 1 feature car shoppers are looking for? Clearly, people want to see, well, clearly. This may also explain the ninth-ranked item. Indeed, what’s the point of having cameras and sensors that don’t work because they’re covered in mud, sleet or snow?
Wireless technologies are a hot commodity, too, so it’s no surprise to find wireless phone chargers in the top 10—not once but twice. It’s not just the people sitting in the first row that want them. Apparently, those in the back also wish to charge their phones without a cable.
Unresponsive driver stop assist, a.k.a. automatic emergency braking, is certainly a desirable and valuable feature as it helps prevent collisions from simple fender benders to potentially fatal crashes. With so many driving distractions these days, who doesn’t want a guardian angel on the road? By the way, it’s a bit strange that hands-free driving assist is nowhere to be found on the list. It must be true that drivers still want to keep their hands on the steering wheel.
What do you think? And what feature or gadget are you looking for the most in your next vehicle? Feel free to share your comments via Facebook!
