As this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) demonstrated, tech companies and car manufacturers are both ready to push in-car technology to the next level with 4G connections, monitoring software, and implementation of precursor self-driving technology. Luckily for those companies, it seem that consumers are on the same page and eager for futuristic car technology.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today revealed new survey data showing that 59% of U.S. car buyers in the past year who are also online stated that in-car technology was important when considering their purchase. A further 42% of consumers said that they will buy some sort of tech device or accessory for their car within the next year.
Most of these technologies, of course, are the sort that have become mundane or usurped by mobile devices. According to the CEA the most popular in-car tech of the last six years has been things such as navigation systems, rearview cameras, remote starters, and entertainment systems. While those product segments have certainly grown in the past few years, consumers are still hungry for something more amazing.
The CEA survey found that 46% of those surveyed were not fully satisfied with the amount of technology in their vehicle. Around that number (47%) say they are “interested” in using apps designed around use in vehicles. Also popular are in-car devices that allow safer use of mobile devices, making it clear that consumers want to meld their mobile life into their vehicles as they are driving.