Ford is offering Waze and its turn-by-turn directions and alternate routing based on current traffic conditions.
The cliché says that the world is shrinking, however, these adages are often born out of a significant truth and if you look at the automotive world, it’s definitely true.
A new study from Metova, which produces mobile, connected car, connected home and IoT Solutions,shows that more than half of respondents own a car that connects to the internet – either direct or via phone, while two-thirds would switch to a different entertainment service if that service is readily available in their new vehicle.
The connection to the “outside” world in vehicles originally took form in getting wifi internet access in the car, truck or minivan. However, now with services like Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto combined with infotainment systems from automakers, vehicles – and people – are more connected than ever.
The study revealed more than just the numbers of folks with connected cars, or at least the ability to do so. It focused on how drivers and passenger use their newfound connectivity.
(Ford offers new Waze to help drivers navigate. Click Here for the story.)
Automakers could continue to make apps available through functions like Apple CarPlay -- but limit how they would operate while driving.
The findings include:
- More than half of respondents have a 2014 or newer vehicle
- 80% are happy with the technology currently available in their car
- 2 out of 3 respondents would switch from their current entertainment service provider of choice to one that was included with their vehicle
- Streaming music services are gaining on FM Radio with 33% of consumers preferring streaming versus 37% that still choose FM Radio – primarily for convenience over content
- 88% of consumers value new technology in their vehicles
- 1 out of 5 new car shoppers would walk away from a potential new purchase that featured everything they wanted in a car (price, brand, design, power, MPG, etc.) if it didn’t have the latest connected technology included
(Click Here for details about the new 2018 JD Power Initial Quality Survey.)
Hyundai is letting Sonata owners with Android Auto handle the updates of the system themselves.
“This information from consumers demonstrates we have reached a tipping point on adoption and expectation for technology in the car,” said Josh Smith, CEO at Metova.
“At Metova, we work with our partners throughout the world to understand their vision for connected car and home solutions to provide a complete technological path along with ongoing support to surpass their goal.”
What this doesn’t show yet though is that people are comfortable enough with connectivity and technology to turn over the driving to a computer. However, the numbers are rising, giving automakers an impetus to continue refining those systems.
(To check out our first drive in the Genesis G80, Click Here.)
In fact, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk said he plans to have Level 5 autonomy – completely self-driving – vehicles ready this fall, which is well ahead of any other manufacturer — and most skeptics ability to believe it’s true.
