May 1, 2017
www.usedcarnews.com
Consumers Grow Skeptical of Self-Driving Cars
NOT SO FAST: General Motors CEO Mary Barra shows off a self-driving Chevrolet Bolt. Automakers continue to invest in these emerging technologies but a recent study by J.D. Power finds consumers are growing less enthusiastic about letting vehicles drive themselves.
By Jenny King
Rush - Dated Material
DETROIT — Autonomous vehicles are coming, but do consumers want them? The latest U.S. Tech Choice Study from J.D. Power indicates a growing nervousness among consumer groups when it comes to actually embracing self-driving cars. In Power’s third annual study, conducted online earlier this year, 11 percent more Gen Z consumers (the youngest consumers) and 9 percent more Pre-Boomers (the oldest) said they “definitely would not” put their trust in automated technology compared with responses from
these age categories in 2016. Generation Y, some of whom turn 40 this year, was the only group that did not fluctuate from the preceding study. At the same time, interest in collision protection and driving assistance technology is growing, Power vice president Dave Sargent told the Automotive Press Association in mid-April. The Tech Choice Study, Sargent said, determines what consumers want and how they feel about the future. Drivers today are asking for more help from their vehicles but, at the same time, are distrustful of techno-
logical advances. Kristin Kolodge, director of driver interaction and human machine interface research at J.D. Power, said seven of the top 10 most desired new-vehicle pre-price features chosen by study participants included “seeing” technologies like smart headlights, lane-change assistance and camera rear-view mirrors. But when prices were revealed, respondents clutched their wallets and tended to name less expensive features like simple wireless device connection ($60) and smart parking ($100) as those most desired. Among the top 10, emergency braking and steering system (a $700 op-
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tion) ranked last, though 31 percent said they would be willing to pay for the technology. Kolodge pointed out that 40 percent of Boomers said they see no benefits to self-driving vehicles. But younger people show a little more enthusiasm for vehicle autonomy. Following the Power presentations, a panel of students from Northwood University in Midland, Mich. responded to questions from a moderator. And all three shared skepticism of the touted advantages attached to autonomous vehicles. Continued on page 5