Self-driving cars are coming but most people don’t
want one.
In addition, most people expect cars in the future to be easily hacked.
In this context, the good news is that the average car on the road today is more than 11 years old,
meaning that most cars are unconnected from the Internet.
However, the rate of connectivity is increasing substantially every year. For example, in 2011 there were only two vehicle models with
Internet access as standard. This year, it will be 133 models, with another 69 in which Net access can be added as an option.
This compares to 173 vehicle models this year without Internet
access, according to a new study by Kelley Blue Book
The study is based on three separate surveys: one to 1,200 members of a study panel, one to 2,100 consumers through kbb.com and a third to
813 consumers, also via kbb.com.
While major car companies like BMW and tech companies like Google and Apple forge ahead with creating driverless cars, the consumer appetite for such cars is
hardly there, even among millennials, according to the Kelley study. Here’s the demographic split of consumers who do not believe they will ever own a self-driving car:
- 60%
-- Millennial (15-35)
- 66% -- Gen X (35-55 years old)
- 77% -- Baby boomer (61-69)
- 88% -- Silent generation (70-90 years old)
There seems to be quite a gap
from where consumers are today compared to where technology is going tomorrow.
For example, while consumers are concerned about car hacking in the future, other issues are top of mind today.
In fact, just about all other issues are more of a concern to consumers than their car being hacked. Here are the top safety concerns relating to consumers while driving a car:
- 84% -- Distracted driving (people texting or talking on phones)
- 74% -- Impaired drivers (like drunk drivers)
- 45% -- Mechanical-related problems (like brake failure)
- 41% -- Weather-related problems (snow, hurricanes)
- 24% -- Road rage
- 19% -- Tire-related problems (getting a flat)
- 17% -- Animal-related problems (hitting one)
- 6% -- Injured by air bag
- 4% -- Car vulnerability to hackers
So it looks like there are some marketing challenges ahead.
Driverless cars will be developed
and introduced into the marketplace. The issue is who the makers will get to sit in those cars as they drive.