Kay Stepper, vice president and regional business unit leader, driver assistance and automated driving, Robert Bosch LLC.
Bosch recently conducted a survey to further understand the sentiment of car owners toward automated driving and ADAS features. The survey reached 1,000 U.S. based new car buyers, aged 18 or older, who have purchased or leased at least one vehicle within the last five model years, and intend to buy or lease a new vehicle again in the future.
Take a look at the results below!
of new car buyers in the U.S. expect to own at least one self-driving automobile in the next 10 years.
of those who expect to own a self-driving automobile said all vehicles they own will be self-driving within the next 10 years.
Only 14% of new car buyers surveyed expect to never own at least one self-driving vehicle, while 14% are unsure.
While a majority of consumers accept the idea of owning a self-driving automobile in the next decade, many do not understand the advanced driver assistance systems, like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and active safety technologies, like electronic stability control, currently available on the market.
ESC was first introduced to the market by Bosch in 1995, and has been a mandated feature on all vehicles since the 2012 model year.
Despite the importance and wide-spread use of this life-safing technology, the survey responses indicate that consumer awareness is surprisingly low.
In fact, the study revealed that only 21% of respondents believe ESC is currently available on all vehicles.
Despite the fact that many ADAS and active safety features are available today, when asked to name the number one safety feature on their vehicle today, the most frequent answer from respondents was “airbag.”
When asked to name the number one safety feature on their vehicle in 10 years, the most frequent answer from respondents was either an ADAS or automated feature.
#1 BENEFIT
was the top benefit (cited by 61%).
#2 & #3 BENEFIT
followed as the 2nd and 3rd most cited benefits (each indicated as a top benefit by 55% of respondents).
TOP CONCERNS
were cited as key concerns (each indicated as a top concern by 72% of respondents).
Attitudes toward automated and traditional vehicles vary among new car buyers when it comes to which option is better.
Results of the survey reveal that respondents trend toward traditional vehicles as the most financially feasible.
In terms of prestige, sustainability and comfort, however, automated vehicles are the popular choice.