JDPower Survey Many New Car Technologies Are Unnecessary in the US
August 27th news, the latest survey of market research firm JDPower shows that many new automotive technologies are unnecessary, especially some partial autonomous driving systems.
If you've ever driven a car before 2010 and then jumped into a new one, you might feel a strong future shock. During this time, automakers have been continuously adding technologies to new cars, installing all kinds of gadgets, gizmos and fancy features, some aiming to simplify your life, and others to improve driving safety. But do car owners really need these functions? A latest survey of market research firm JDPower shows that the answer may be no.
Over time, new convenience features have gradually become the expected standard for buyers. For example, starter motors have replaced hand cranks, and most drivers don't want to use manual throttles anymore. Another example is that hand-cranked windows have been gradually phased out as they are more expensive and bulky than power windows.
The application of some vehicle technologies is due to regulatory requirements or potential regulatory pressure. Although many people are dissatisfied with the iPad on the dashboard, because the law requires that new cars must be equipped with a backup camera, a display screen is needed in the car to show real-time video. In addition, in order to hide the airbag, the design of the steering wheel and dashboard has also become more complicated. And now, sensors are installed in the front of the vehicle, which can warn the driver or automatically brake when a frontal collision is about to occur.
The technology experience survey conducted by JDPower mainly measures the problems and user experience when advanced technologies first enter the market. The survey shows that high-tech in vehicles should solve practical problems, but many technologies do not achieve this.
For example, drivers usually like advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), especially blind spot monitoring does solve a real problem. But will any experienced driver really use automatic parking? JDPower also found that even the most advanced systems, the practicability of some partial automated driving functions is very low, which is consistent with the data released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last month, which shows that partial automation does not make cars safer.
The most annoying trend currently is that automakers install a separate infotainment screen in front of the passenger seat, separate from the main screen in the center console. This practice is attributed to Ferrari, which initially added a passenger screen in a supercar, which may be due to a misunderstanding that Ferrari drivers want to let passengers know the actual speed.
Ferrari's early passenger display has limited functions, but has gradually evolved into a fully functional second infotainment display. Porsche adopted this design in the Taycan, and then Mercedes launched a through-type super screen, which is actually three independent display screens and a lot of blank instrument panels, all embedded in a piece of glass. The latest design appears in some new Audis, with a movable privacy mode that allows passengers to watch videos, while the driver cannot see anything on that screen at all.
JDPower said that many car owners don't rate the passenger screen highly and point out that it's very difficult for dealers to teach new car owners how to use the main screen, let alone the second screen.
Some new technologies seem high-tech, but in fact do not solve any real problems, such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanners and gesture contr ol. In the past few years, all kinds of new cars have these three functions, but the facial recognition system of Hyundai Genesis is not enough to make people feel at ease to leave the key at home, and the gesture control function of BMW means that if the car owner's hand movement is too large, it may accidentally turn the audio system to the maximum volume.
But not every new innovation is criticized. JDPower pointed out that AI-based functions like smart air conditioning control are quickly becoming popular.
Kathleen Rizk, director of JDPower User Experience Standards and Technology Advanced, said: For all automakers, it is crucial to develop a strong advanced technology strategy, and many innovative technologies are meeting the needs of consumers. She added: At the same time, this year's research clearly shows that car owners find some technologies not very useful and even continue to be annoyed.
JDPower said that this technology survey is designed to help automakers decide how to allocate R & D resources. If car owners start to see some unpopular in-vehicle technologies become less common, they will know which automakers have listened to the opinions.