Just 35% of buyers feel that autonomous features are clearly explained to them during visits to dealerships, and only a third received a demonstration, according to a new Auto Trader market report.
It states that upon receiving an explanation in the showroom, 72% of car buyers said they were more likely to buy the car, 72% to buy the car from that specific retailer and 59% would be more likely to upgrade the specification of the car.
This also extended to future business. 74% were more likely to return to the same dealer for maintenance, 73% would return to buy their next car from them and 73% would buy the same brand of car.
The report also showed that interest in autonomous features is high. 80% said they would pay extra for semi-autonomous systems in their next car, and 51% would be more likely to buy from the same brand again because of these features. This figure increases to 57% for both men and people aged under 35.
Nathan Coe, Auto Trader’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, said: “The more we can enhance the buying and driving experience by focusing on technology that genuinely meets consumer needs, the more we can unlock this desire and encourage consumers to change their car more frequently.
“It’s not just the front end of retail where consumers are being put off. The use of complicated marketing jargon and acronyms is also an issue. In fact, when presented with the various manufacturing brand names for their incredibly sophisticated semi-autonomous features, the vast majority of car buyers either miscategorised its function, or simply failed to appreciate its advanced capabilities.
“With car buyers either unaware or unsure of these features, it’s very unlikely they’ll request them when visiting a dealership. Accordingly, of those car owners who have an autonomous feature in their vehicle, less than half (45%) said they actively sought it out when they made their last purchase.”