Unused Features In Automobiles

Lucas Mearian finds that car buyers can be confused about high-tech features . Mearian cites the 2015 Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience Report, which indicates that:

The five features owners most commonly report that they "never use" are in-vehicle concierge (43%); mobile routers (38%); automatic parking systems (35%); heads-up display (33%); and built-in apps (32%).

"In many cases, owners simply prefer to use their smartphone or tablet because it meets their needs; they're familiar with the device and it's accurate," said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction and human-machine interface (HMI) research at J.D. Power. "In-vehicle connectivity technology that's not used results in millions of dollars of lost value for both consumers and the manufacturers."

-DD