Forget the Hi-Tech Frills and Other Niceties, Motorists are Demanding Greater Safety in Their Vehicles

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., March 30 -- Automotive manufacturers, while pushing hi-tech frills, are failing to keep pace with their customers' needs for safety related features which keep the driver and their passengers safe at all times according to consumer opinion research.

Motorists want their vehicle to assume control of their driving when they are distracted or drowsy. Parents want vehicle permission settings so they can monitor the driving habits of their teenage drivers. They also want alarms that notify them if an infant is inadvertently left in an unattended vehicle. Safety related needs were common across all new car and truck owners participating in 48 focus group sessions conducted by the RDA Group, a marketing research firm in Detroit http://www.rdagroup.com/ .

"Although the auto industry has come a long ways in improving driver safety, results of this research show that customers are demanding more," says Jim Thomas, senior vice president for Product Development at the RDA Group. "When we launched the Auto-Ideation(TM) study, we didn't anticipate that safety related needs would surpass other needs related to driver comfort and convenience."

Many of the 1,800 unmet motorists' needs uncovered in this consumer study are safety related. Many others identify the need for interior customization, real time traffic information, glare and blind spot reduction, better food and beverage management in vehicles, cabin temperature maintenance, and snow/ice removal from vehicles.

Too often companies let technology push new features into vehicles which the consumer may not want. "We want automotive planners and engineers to listen to the voice of their customers early in the product development process, rather than wait for a report card when the feature is introduced into the market," Thomas adds.

With over 40,000 traffic fatalities each year, it shouldn't be unexpected that vehicle owners are demanding greater safety for themselves and their occupants. From this perspective, some of the frills and niceties offered in today's vehicles may not be as critical to today's motorists.

SURVEY SOURCE: The Auto-Ideation(TM) Study was conducted among 2003/2004 model new car and truck owners who participated in a total of 48 group sessions during November and December 2003.