Consumers Look for Fast, Easy Phone-Car Integration

A survey says today’s car consumers want vehicles that easily synch with their smartphones, and they’re inclined to scratch off their shopping lists vehicles that fail to do that.

Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents also show more interest in desired on-board technology over preferred vehicle color, says the second-annual Autotrader Car Tech Impact Study. That’s up eight percentage points since the first survey.

“Consumers have learned to integrate the technology into their lives,” says Autotrader research analyst Rachelle Petusky. “When they get into their cars, they expect to stay connected with simple and easy smartphone integration. The manufacturers that blend that with autonomous features are the ones who will win.”

In a WardsAuto Q&A, she discusses that, what role automakers play and how automotive technology increasingly influences buying behavior.  

WardsAuto: The survey showed a strong interest in smartphone-car integration. What are the implications to automakers that want to supply connectivity with their own stuff? It seems as though Apple Car Play and Android Auto cuts them out.

Petusky: It’s not the perception of consumers that they are cutting the automaker out. They want something that will connect with any device they own. They are less focused on what brand partners with the OEMs and more focused on whether the system works well and seamlessly.

What we saw last year at the (Consumer Electronics Show) and even more so this year is automakers starting to make sure that whatever they put in their dash is compatible across multiple platforms, so it is not just Android- or Apple-compatible, which may hinder a customer from purchasing their vehicles.

WardsAuto:  Not that long ago, car phones – a designated telephone in your vehicle – were the latest and greatest idea. That didn’t last long. Is there a possibility of this car-smartphone compatibility technology becoming obsolete real quick or will it have a longer shelf life.

Petusky: I don’t know that there is a risk of smartphones as they exist today going away. What we may think of them five or 10 years from now may be a little different, but the connecting to the car via Bluetooth or a USB port offers the opportunity to be compatible to whatever the next generation of the smartphone is.

WardsAuto: You had mentioned that automakers offering simple and easy smartphone integration will win. But who would dare lose by not providing consumers with something they’re asking for? Do you foresee any automaker take that risk?

Petusky: No, I don’t think anyone is going to say, “We’re not throwing our hat in that race.” But when it comes to ease-of-use technology, some manufacturers could end up losing out. Is synching my phone in the car as easy as starting the car, or is it much more complicated? And does it work every time I go through those steps?

WardsAuto: What would you define as complicated?

Petusky: Whether it works as expected and as promised. Does it connect every time? Does the voice recognition understand the commands?

WardsAuto: Just to be clear, the integration means that what’s on the smartphone would appear on the bigger infotainment screen in the car, right? Some people in the industry say the biggest screen wins.

Petusky: Right. Consumers would expect to translate anything on their smaller smartphone screen to the larger dash screen. A lot of people feel the navigation on their smartphones performs better than the navigation systems that are built into cars today. If they have to choose between their phone and car navigation systems, they’ll pick their phone. And smartphone software is updated more frequently.

WardsAuto: How prevalent is the situation of technology not living up to consumer expectations?

Petusky: Kelley Blue Book tested more than 300 vehicles and narrowed it down to six that were functioning well and as expected. That’s not to say the other 294 didn’t work.

WardsAuto: Still, only six?

Petusky: Others did OK. They just didn’t offer the “wow” factor and perform exactly as expected.

WardsAuto: Intuitively, you would think there wouldn’t be a quality gap. If some systems are really good, why aren’t all of them?

Petusky: I don’t think automakers have spent as much time and money building navigation systems in vehicles vs. a company such as MapQuest with a central focus on it. I’m sure some manufacturers’ navigation systems perform as well or better than a smartphone’s navigation. But the stigma is that the phone navigation is superior.

WardsAuto: In the survey, 46% of consumers said they’d pay up to $1,499 for an “interactive dashboard” and other advanced-technology features. Some auto industry people say that in reality consumers want all this stuff at no extra cost. So were surveyed people just saying they’d pay for it?

Petusky: They’d like an a la carte approach. When manufacturers and dealers package the technology, you don’t get to say what you do or don’t want. You either get the premier technology package, which costs more than $1,499, or you don’t.

WardsAuto: The survey also says 77% of people want a car with all the technology features they desire more than they want a particular car color. Can’t they have both the features and color of preference?

Petusky: In effect, we forced people to pick color vs. must-have technology. There is a large car inventory in the U.S. If it comes down to picking a blue or black vehicle on the lot, they are going to pick the one with the technology they want.

Technology is starting to redefine people’s perception of car luxury, especially Millennials. They say, “If my vehicle contains the tech package I want, I own a luxury car,” even though they might drive a Ford or Chevy.   

 WardsAuto: The survey also touched on autonomous cars. Sixty-five percent of consumers said they would watch the road even though they wouldn’t be driving a self-driving car. Only 11% said they’d use the time to work, which is interestingly low. What would the other 24% be doing?

Petusky: Some said things such as reading a book, talking to someone in the car or taking a nap. But those were less than 5% each.

WardsAuto: Were you surprise 65% said they’d be watching the road even though they didn’t have to?

Petusky: It doesn’t surprise me that they would say that now because there’s so much distrust about autonomous vehicles. A lot of consumers are concerned about what would happen if they took their eyes off the road.

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