More than half of Generation Y and Z vehicle owners trust self-driving technology, according to a new report from J.D. Power. Older populations such as Generation X, Baby Boomers and Pre-Boomers aren’t quite so trusting.
According to J.D. Power:
| Population Group | Trust in Automated Technology |
| Generation Y | 56 percent |
| Generation Z | 55 percent |
| Generation X | 41 percent |
| Baby Boomers | 23 percent |
| Pre-Boomers | 18 percent |
The company defines the generations as born before 1946 for Pre-Boomers; 1946-1964 for Baby Boomers; 1965-1976 for Generation X; 1977-1994 for Generation Y and 1995-2000 for Generation Z.
One concern all generations share involves security—including vehicle privacy and the potential for systems to be hacked.
“The level of trust is directly linked to the level of interest in new technology among automobile buyers,” says Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & HMI research at J.D. Power. “Acceptance can be increased with exposure over time and experience with automated technologies. But trust is fragile and can be broken if there is an excessive number of incidents with automated vehicles.”
When shown the fair market value for various technologies, two of the four safety-related technologies on the top 10 most popular list—night vision ($2,000) and lane change assist ($1,500)—fall out. Camera rear-view mirror ($300) and camera side-view mirrors ($400) remain in demand.
The most desired features after the price is shown are economy navigation system ($60); simple wireless device connection ($60); camera rear-view mirror ($300); smart parking ($100); and predictive traffic ($150).
Among the top 10 most desired technologies, self-healing paint has the highest price point at $500.
Source: J.D. Power
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