The trick for automakers, according to S&P Global Mobility, is getting consumers exposed in the first place. More than 1 in 4 respondents said they either did not know that connected services were available or the dealership did not offer them.
“Marketing is everything. Implementation is everything,” Yanina Mills, senior technical research analyst at S&P Global Mobility, said about subscription-based connected services.
The survey found driver-assistance and safety features were more popular than comfort features such as heated seats.
How frequently a feature is used also plays a role.
“If you have a feature that you only use once or twice, you’re not going to renew that feature,” Mills said.
Removing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from vehicles, as General Motors has, could be a way of getting around consumers’ resistance to features that overlap with what’s available on their phones, S&P Global Mobility said. It also gives automakers more access to consumers’ usage data.
While many consumers have concerns about sharing data, about 3 out of 4 said they would be willing to share data in exchange for free services.
