The 10 Features New Vehicle Shoppers Want the Most in 2024
So, what’s at the top of your wish list when it comes to features and technologies in your next vehicle? Do you look for the same things as most shoppers? To answer that last question, you can look to the 2024 edition of AutoPacific’s Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS), which is based on the responses from nearly 15,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. who intend to acquire a new vehicle within the next three years.
The most sought-after feature for 2024 is a wireless charging pad for portable electronic devices for front passengers (44 percent). But demand isn’t just isolated to a vehicle’s front cabin, as the second most-wanted feature is a wireless charging pad for portable electronic devices for rear passengers (37 percent). It certainly proves very convenient—at least for those with compatible smartphones and devices.
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Heated and ventilated front seats (37 percent) are right up there, as well. Most new vehicles in Canada these days come standard with heated front seats, but few also offer ventilated seats that can keep occupants cool on hotter days. Will automakers get the message?
Next up are rain-sensing windshield wipers (36 percent), a sunroof/moonroof (35 percent) and driver profile settings enabling a more personalized experience (35 percent).
“This feature can be a huge help among households with multiple drivers who may at times share a vehicle,” says Robby DeGraff, AutoPacific Manager of Product and Consumer Insights. “Making your own driver profile settings requires a bit of initial homework, but once established, it’s essentially a get-in-and-go experience with the vehicle automatically setting the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, audio presets and many other personal settings to your preferences when you get in the vehicle.”
The item in seventh place, 120V power outlets (34 percent), may seem trivial but it’s really not. We totally agree: new vehicles need more of them and fewer of those 12V outlets.
The rest of the top 10 includes sun shades for rear passengers (33 percent), rear cross-traffic alert with automatic emergency braking (32 percent) and a built-in air compressor (31 percent). Having properly inflated tires at all times is critical for safety and fuel economy, but we’re kind of stunned to see that so many people want their next vehicle to come out of the factory with its own compressor.
Earning a top 10 honourable mention from AutoPacific is unresponsive driver stop assist. This feature ranked third last year with interest from 43 percent of new vehicle shoppers, but it was reworded this year to measure two types of assist separately: stop in lane and redirect to shoulder. Combined, the demand for unresponsive driver stop assist is 45 percent with a nearly equal split between consumers wanting stop in lane and those wanting redirect to shoulder.