Car owners don't want all of those fancy tech features

Drivers are rejecting things like automatic parking systems, built-in apps and in-vehicle concierge

If you're creating car-app features, it may just be a waste of time. In fact, startups such as Vinli, which is a developer of a connected car platform, or Veniam, which turns vehicles into WiFi hotspots, may be making products ultimately drivers won't want.

At the urging of my girlfriend, I have decided to make a big change in my life: I'm finally going to get my driver's license. It's something that is long overdue.

When I get that part of out of the way, and it's finally time for me to buy myself a car, I think I know what will matter most to be. Gas mileage, for one. Reviews of the car on how well made it is, and if those cars typically have problems (my girlfriend has a VW bug, for example, and after seeing how much trouble she's had with it, and how expensive it is to repair, I know I won't be going that route).

What matters a lot less to me are all the gadgets and features. I don't care about things like having bluetooth in the car or apps or any of that. I just want a car that will run and won't cost me a ton in repairs.

Turns out, that is how most people feel, at least according to a new study out from JD Power on Tuesday, which found that many people never even use the tech features that come with their cars. Nor do they even want them in the first place. 

The 2015 Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience (DrIVE) Report showed that at least 20 percent of new-vehicle owners have never used the majority, 16 out of 33, technology features that the study measured.

That included in-vehicle concierge, which 43% said they never used; mobile routers, which 38% never used; automatic parking systems, which 35% do not use; head-up display, with 33% not using it; and built-in apps, of which 32% do not use them.

In fact, it goes beyond people not using it; they actually do not even want this stuff in their car at all. Specifically they are against having Apple's CarPlay, its vehicle integration service, which will allow users to connect their iPhone to their vehicle, letting  Siri help them access their contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails.

They also don't want Google Android Auto, which is the Android equivalent of CarPlay. Most people told JD Power that they do not find the features to be useful, and, in fact, many of them only have them because they came with a package they were offered, and they otherwise wouldn't have even bought them in the first place.

Even worse news for the industry are the ones who are saying they don't want it. Rather than a bunch of old fogey's, it's Generation Y, or Millenials, who are the most against it. And you just know are the people who they think would want this the most.

That's just not the case, though, as Millenials are actually more likely than average to reject it than average, with 23% saying they don't want it, compared to the 20% overall. Given that Millenials are the most likely to embrace technology, this does not portend good things for this industry.

Part of the reason for the rejection has to do with safety, since these features can be distracting to a driver. The other big issue is redundancy. People are on their smartphones all the time. They already own the devices, and they do not want to pay more to get them again in their cars. And why should they?

“In many cases, owners simply prefer to use their smartphone or tablet because it meets their needs; they’re familiar with the device and it’s accurate,” Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & HMI research at J.D. Power, said a statement.

“In-vehicle connectivity technology that’s not used results in millions of dollars of lost value for both consumers and the manufacturers.”

What do they want? Things that actually help them drive the car, and keep them safe, like health diagnostics, blind-spot warning and detection, and adaptive cruise control.

If there is one way to get people to care about all that extra stuff, though, it would seem to be through car dealers. Basically, if the dealers don't show people how to use this stuff then nobody ever will and they won't ever use it. If they do, then people are obviously more likely to use it again.

That also means that its up to the automakers to first show the dealers how to use it in the first place.

“While dealers are expected to play a key role in explaining the technology to consumers, the onus should be on automakers to design the technology to be intuitive for consumers,” Kolodge said. “Automakers also need to explain the technology to dealership staff and train them on how to demonstrate it to owners.”

So basically what we have here is a situation where, down the line, features are being put into cars that nobody knows how to use, that nobody is showing anyone else how to use and that the people who are buying the cars are explicitly saying that they do not want.

You know how sometimes technology starts getting ahead of itself, and it starts going faster than people are comfortable with? This is one of those times. The only question is whether the car makers will listen or keep trying to jam things down the throats of consumers who are rejecting them. 

(Image source: eleganthack.com)