Study from AT&T/Ericsson finds global buyers want connected cars

connected car canvasAT&T’s Drive Studio and Ericsson released a study that found that connected car services were of high importance for prospective auto buyers. The survey targeted customers who were likely to buy a car within the next five years, and the respondents were located in the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Japan, and China.

The results showed that half of all those surveyed would switch car brands to get connected car services, and 72% would delay their purchase by a year in order to get those services from their preferred brand. The respondents also revealed high awareness of available services, with streaming music, remote start, navigation and real-time traffic, and roadside assistance all scoring 70% or higher.

This study shows very different results from a similar one last month from Harris Interactive, which found a drastically lower rate of interest in and knowledge about connected car features among prospective buyers. While AT&T and Ericsson are certainly invested in pushing the popularity of connected cars (in fact, they are partnering on the topic), the range of respondent knowledge is likely a reflection of how new connected car services are. It’s also worth noting that the Harris study only covered the U.S., while the AT&T/Ericsson poll had a more global bent. Making any conclusive statements about consumers’ knowledge of connected cars at this early stage may not be a fruitful, so we’ll need more research to tease out the growing trends.

Anna Washenko