While new vehicle technology is a leading reason why buyers choose one vehicle over another, many new vehicles are equipped with some features that they want no part of, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study released last week. This ends up being costly to automakers and buyers.

“New-vehicle prices are at an all-time high, partly as a result of an increased level of content,” said Kristin Kolodge, Executive Director of Human-machine Interface at J.D. Power. “This is fine if owners are getting value for their money, but some features seem like a waste to many owners.”

The study finds that, for more than one in three advanced technologies, fewer than half of owners have used the technology in the first 90 days of ownership. Non-users most often say they don’t need these technologies.

For example, 61% of owners say they have never used the in-vehicle digital market technology, and 51% of those saying they have no need for it. Owners feel similarly about the driver/passenger communication technology, with 52% saying they have never used the technology, and 40% of those saying they have no need for it.

When technology is effectively executed in a vehicle, it positively influences an owner’s decision to purchase another vehicle equipped with that technology. The highest execution scores in the study are for camera rear-view mirror and ground-view camera, both of which are ranked among the top three by owners wanting them on their next vehicle.

“J.D. Power has a wealth of transactional data showing that automakers suffer a hit to profits and sales velocity if they build the wrong mix of features on their vehicles,” Kolodge said. “The TXI research quantifies the benefits when there is alignment between what owners truly want and what the automakers produce.”

Tesla’s unofficial score was the highest in the study, with an Innovation Index score of 668 (on a 1000-point scale). However, the automaker is not officially ranked as it doesn’t meet ranking criteria. It doesn’t grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it sells vehicles.

Officially, Genesis ranked highest overall and in the premium segment with an Innovation Index score of 634. In the premium segment, Cadillac ranked second (551), followed by Volvo (550), BMW (545), and Mercedes-Benz (523).

Hyundai ranked highest in the mass-market segment with a score of 519. Kia ranked second (510), followed by Nissan (502), Subaru (499), and GMC (498).

The TXI Study analyzed 36 technologies divided into four categories: convenience; emerging automation; energy and sustainability; and infotainment and connectivity. Only technologies classified as advanced are award-eligible.

The convenience award went to the Cadillac Escalade (premium) and Ram 1500 (mass market), both for camera rear-view mirror technology.

The Lexus IS received the premium model emerging automation award for its reverse automatic emergency braking technology. The Hyundai Elantra is the mass market model receiving the emerging automation award for its front cross-traffic-warning technology.

For infotainment and connectivity, the IS (premium) and Kia K5 (mass market) received the infotainment and connectivity award, both for their virtual assistant connectivity to vehicle technology.

In general, researchers cited a few key findings of the 2021 study.

Dealer demonstrations at delivery are instrumental in keeping owners engaged with emerging technologies.

For example, for safe exit assist technology, owners can get a very strong understanding of the system when they learn it from a dealer. Without dealer education, however, owners often do not fully understand the technology and its value, presenting a challenge for its overall acceptance.

Similarly, when a dealer demonstrates trailer assistance technology, satisfaction improves to 8.69 (on a 10-point scale) compared with 7.83 for learning from an outside source. However, owners are more than twice as likely to learn about this technology from an outside source (71%) than from a dealer (30%).

Many owners indicate poor performance with interior gesture controls technology, which responds to hand motions instead of touch. Owners of this feature indicate an extremely high 41 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). It also had the lowest overall satisfaction score in the study for a second consecutive year. In contrast, one-pedal driving technology offered in some electric vehicles receives very high satisfaction levels and owners cite relatively few problems (8 PP100).

J.D. Power TXI studies for the U.S. and China include 21 of the same advanced and emerging technologies, but scores for owner satisfaction vary by country. While camera rear-view mirror technology receives high scores in the U.S., owners in China have the most problems (18 PP100) with the technology. For ground view camera technology, 62% of U.S. owners say they “definitely will” want the technology again, while only 24% of owners in China say the same.

 

Kevin Jost contributed to this article.