Skip to main content

Driving dynamics ‘vastly influence car purchase decisions in Europe’

Driving dynamics play a huge role in the purchasing decisions of vehicle owners in Europe. While safety and reliability are top priorities, driving dynamics-related capabilities such as manoeuvrability and ride quality rank high in importance among consumers looking to buy a car. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, European Consumers’ Attitude towards Driving Dynamics Technologies, finds that urban male customers are willing to pay a higher than average price to upgrade driving dynamics technologies. Wo
April 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Driving dynamics play a huge role in the purchasing decisions of vehicle owners in Europe. While safety and reliability are top priorities, driving dynamics-related capabilities such as manoeuvrability and ride quality rank high in importance among consumers looking to buy a car.
 
New analysis from 2097 Frost & Sullivan, European Consumers’ Attitude towards Driving Dynamics Technologies, finds that urban male customers are willing to pay a higher than average price to upgrade driving dynamics technologies. Women with higher than average income are most often prepared to pay a premium for safety features.
 
“Consumers across car segments agree on the top features required for an improved driving experience,” said Frost & Sullivan Automotive and Transportation Program manager Prana T Natarajan. “Secure handling, road-holding, and control over braking and steering are significant cogs in the wheel of consumer expectations.”
 
E&F segment car owners value steering handling more than smoothness of drive and powertrain features more than fuel or price. Smaller vehicle segment consumers too show interest in and willingness to pay for all-wheel drive (AWD) functionalities.
 
The inclination to pay drops significantly with the increase in price of steering, suspension and AWD technologies. Most consumers in Europe give more importance to value for money and hence look for optimally-priced solution packages.
 
“Technology providers must deploy appropriate pricing strategies to accelerate adoption rates,” suggested Natarajan. “Bundling is likely to be an effective way for driving dynamics solution suppliers to maximise profits on installed systems and attract potential consumers in Europe.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Leading Finland’s transport revolution
    July 18, 2017
    Anne Berner, Finland’s minister of transport and communications, does not fit the normal political mould. She is not a career politician but a business executive who became a member of parliament in 2015 and has said from the outset that she will only serve one term. Without concerns about being re-elected and a clear view of the future of transport, Berner can concentrate on what needs to be done - tackling some of the more contentious and intransigent subjects. Her name is best known for two major initiat
  • Social innovation driving ‘smart’ infrastructure
    February 19, 2014
    The first Social Innovation Forum taking place today in Istanbul, Turkey will focus on urban development and how new, ‘smart’ technologies can deliver innovations that answer society's challenges. Cities are projected to host almost 54 per cent of the world's population by next year, with the United Nations estimating that up to 80 per cent, or approximately 7.5 billion people, of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050. Urbanisation is leading to further stress on infrastructure – power d
  • Europe’s car safety framework needs ‘overhaul’
    March 22, 2016
    Vehicle safety innovations are still benefitting too few road users in Europe due to an over-reliance on a voluntary testing programme rather than regulatory standards, according to a new report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). For almost twenty years, increases in levels of car safety in Europe have been driven mainly by the voluntary Euro NCAP programme which awards the safest cars with a 5-star rating. But according to new data, only around half of new vehicles sold in 2013 had been aw
  • Qatar invests $70 billion to pave the way to world beating transportation
    July 26, 2013
    Eng. Zeina Nazer looks at what Qatar’s recently-announced investment in transport infrastructure will mean on the ground. Qatar is experiencing a rapid economic and industrial growth. This growth is characterised by a rapid population increase and by the urgent need towards the development of both infrastructure projects and major transport projects. In order to handle this rate of development within Qatar, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is developing a fully-integrated multimodal transportation system in