June 9, 2021—Will American consumers embrace self-driving cars? A new study found they might, but it’s likely going to take much longer than other countries.
Ipsos, a leading market research firm, recently released the results of the Ipsos Mobility Navigator Global Study and found that interest in autonomous vehicles is significantly lower amongst U.S. vehicle owners. Thirty-one percent of American consumers said they were interested in AVs, while 78 percent of Chinese vehicle owners were interested. In Brazil, 61 percent were interested. Germany, like the U.S., lagged behind at 34 percent.
“We’ve been monitoring this and reviewing this for the last five years,” said John Kiser, senior vice president of Ipsos’ U.S., Automotive & Mobility division. “We see the emerging countries embracing these new technologies and techniques much more than established countries.”
What Kiser has concluded through the study and other research is that interest in AVs is tied pretty closely to the prevalence of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features, which provide a semi-autonomous driving experience.
Just 19 percent of U.S. drivers have experience driving semi-autonomous vehicles, while 40 percent of Chinese drivers and 39 percent of Brazilian drivers have.
The logic to the correlation is simple, Kiser said. If drivers are using ADAS features such as lane assist and blind spot protection, they are already becoming comfortable driving a semi-autonomous vehicle. That makes the shift to a fully autonomous vehicle less daunting.
To read more about this research, check out the full story at ADAPT.
