AT&T Study Shows Consumers Want Connected Cars Enough to Wait

The debate about how to accomplish a safe, and secure and still usable connected car is raging all over the industry. Perhaps the first question to be asked, however, ought to be: do consumers want these cars? A new study from AT&T Drive Studio and Ericsson seems to say they do.

According to the study, three-quarters of surveyed consumers plan to consider connected features very highly when buying their next cars, with on-board Wi-Fi topping the list of desired functions.  This is the second year of the study of consumers likely to buy a car in the next three years conducted by these brands. They surveyed consumers in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and China during July and asked them about connected car awareness, feature preferences and purchase drivers.

“For the second year in a row, we are witnessing a growing trend where consumers in different parts of the world are not only increasingly aware of the term connected car, but they are placing greater importance on connected car features and services,” said Orvar Hurtig, VP, Ericsson Global Services and Head of Industry and Society, Ericsson. “In addition to safety and infotainment features enabled by connectivity, automakers can also use the connectivity for over the air software updates and advanced downloadable engine configurations. For the consumer, this means that connected car services will open up the ability to add new capabilities to their car and enhance their driving experience for years after they purchase a connected car.”

Some key findings of the study included high awareness, especially in the U.S., where more than 60 percent of respondents said they were aware of the term connected car and more than 75 percent of global answerers said they’d delay buying a new car buy a year to get these services from their preferred brand.

“This study confirms that drivers today are tech savvy and value services that improve their driving experience,” said Chris Penrose, SVP, IoT, AT&T Mobility. “It’s great to see that more drivers understand what a connected car enables them to do. With this increased awareness, we believe you’ll see adoption of integrated wireless connectivity in the car continue to take off.”

Looks like plenty of folks out there are looking forward to cruising that connected highway.