'Leading Edge Consumers' Leaning Towards Connected Cars

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NUREMBERG, Germany, Mar. 27, 2015 /PRN=KYODO JBN/ --

    - '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 Hartl, 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 Hartl, Global Lead for Automotive, GfK - frank.haertl@gfk.com,

+49-911-395-3772.

Source: GfK