Car Owners Prefer Technology Over Brand Loyalty

A new study suggests more car owners are willing to ditch their favorite car brand for upgraded in-car technologies, like active park assist and rear-view cameras.

According to the poll conducted by AutoTrader.com, more than half of vehicle owners (56 percent) would switch form their favorite car company to get a vehicle with the technological features they desire. The study asked 1,033 US vehicle owners how much technological features influence their buying decisions when it comes to picking out a new car. Not surprisingly, technological safety advancements outweighed other add-ons like bluetooth connectivity. 84 percent of consumers said advanced safety features outweighed infotainment options. Additionally, 61 percent said they are likely to consider autonomous features like collision avoidance and parking assist during their next purchase.

Other findings from the study include:

• Ease of technology is also important. Mare than 50 percent of consumers would pass on a car they liked if they felt the tech features were too cumbersome.

• More than 75 percent of consumers said they’d prefer one easy-to-use vehicle technology than a slew of complicated options.

• 38 percent said they would delay their next vehicle purchase by six months in order to get a car with all the features they desire.

• The majority of respondents said it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to figure out all the tech features in a particular model.

• 30 percent said they’d like to be able to test drive a car overnight to spend more time learning about the car’s features.

“The fact that consumers are in need of this education combined with how much technology is influencing the purchase decision is a huge opportunity for dealers,” said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at Auto Trader, adding that many buyers feel that a quick test drive doesn’t give them enough time to get acclimated with all the features. “Salespeople who can actively show shoppers how easy these features are to use, and demonstrate the benefits, will build a trusted relationship with the shopper to help seal the deal.”

While technology reigns supreme, some people are pretty picky when it comes to the color of their vehicle, as 31 percent said they would not sacrifice their car color choice for their favorite on-board technologies.