Public Likes Driver-Assist Stuff; Less Enamored by Autonomous Cars

Car consumers like many of the advanced driver-assist technologies on vehicles today, but they are not so sure about the coming world of fully autonomous vehicles.

That’s according to the 2018 Cox Automotive Evolution of Mobility Study released today.

It indicates consumer awareness of self-driving vehicles has skyrocketed. And the desire for advanced, driver-assist technologies to help make vehicles safer remains high.

But consumers show more concerns with full automation than they did just two years ago, when Cox conducted a similar study.

The increased angst is attributable at least in part to recent accidents involving self-driving test vehicles on public roads.

“As awareness around the development of autonomous technology increases, we’re seeing some dramatic shifts in consumer sentiment,” says Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Cox Automotive’s Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. “People now have a deeper understanding of the complexities involved when creating a self-driving car, and that has them reconsidering their comfort level when it comes to handing over control.”

The multi-part Cox study focuses on how consumers and dealers are thinking about the changing mobility landscape. 

The just-released first part focuses on consumer opinion of autonomous technology. It indicates recent high-profile accidents involving self-driving vehicles have cast a shadow on the technology.

For example, a self-driving Uber car fatally injured a pedestrian in Arizona last March. (A test driver behind the wheel had failed to act in time.)

But the accidents may only be slightly to blame for a change in consumer sentiment, says the study.

Following the Arizona fatality, General Motors President Dan Ammann told journalists consumer confidence will grow as fully autonomous vehicles show their capabilities. He calls GM a leader in developing such vehicles.

Study takeaways also include:

·        Despite setbacks, the desire for autonomous features is strong and growing. 

·        Education highlighting autonomous-vehicle effectiveness is key to alleviate consumers safety concerns.

·        Consumer advocacy and real-world experience with the technology is vital to adoption.