Interior Design, Functionality Trumps Reliability for New Car Buyers

According to a new survey performed by J.D.Power and Associates, interior design and in-car capabilities have become moreimportant than reliability for buyers when shopping for a new car.

According to a new survey performed by J.D. Power andAssociates, interior design and in-car capabilities have become more importantthan reliability for buyers when shopping for a new car. When faced with thedecision of choosing a vehicle with questionable dependability or anunattractive and non-functional interior, a greater percentage of buyersquestioned picked the vehicle with known reliability issues.

Industry analysts are unsurprised by the results however,citing a natural progression of how todays commuters use their vehicles. Alot of people do spend a lot of time in their car, more and more every year, sothey want nicer seats, new technology, the creature features, says LarryDominique, executive vice president of Truecar.com, an automotive pricing andinformation website. As drivers continue to spend more and more time in theircars, it is only logical that they want a space that is not only aestheticallypleasing, but also functional to a level that matches the rest of theirpersonal technologies like tablet computers and smart phones.

Auto makers are cashing in on the trend as well, offeringimproved interiors initially meant for the luxury car market into more entrylevel models, where customers have been found to be more than willing to paythe increased costs. The luxury brands used to be the ones with leather and alot of features, says Dominique, who worked as an executive for Nissan beforebecoming VP of Truecar. The challenge [was] to bring more content standard. Ifthe automakers [couldnt] price for it, they [were] going to loseprofitability.

Instead of losing profitability, brands like Ford and GM whointroduced leather interiors and advanced infotainment systems into their basicmodels have seen profits increase by as much as six percent. To maximize thisincreasing market potential, some makers are even demonstrating a willingnessto cut costs in other areas to keep prices low for better interior design, thoughsuch efforts have the chance to backfire in the near future if safety and qualityissues begin to surface. A well groomed interior would serve as littleconsolation in the event of an accident stemming from a defective ormalfunctioning component born out of a cost cutting measure.

Federal regulators and safety organizations like theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute forHighway Safety on the other hand were discouraged by the survey results, asdrivers are continuing to show an unwillingness to avoid distractions whilebehind the wheel. So long as buyers continue to demand more out of their in-carsystems and makers continue to satisfy their demands, driver distraction willremain an issue leading to thousands of accidents and fatalities each year.

If drivers are unable to avoid the temptations caused byincreasing in-car functionality on their own, it will be up to law makers toforce safety improvements. Legislation calling for bans on all systems thatrequire drivers to take their hands off the wheel and look away from the roadhas been introduced, though no formal laws have been put in place as of yet.

Car makers are also working on voice and gesture controlledsystems to find a compromise between functionality, consumer demand, andfederal safety requirements, though systems on the market today still draw focusaway from the road. For lasting safety improvements to be made, a balance mustbe found allowing drivers access to the functionality they are becoming increasinglyreliant on without sacrificing attention, all while being packaged in aluxurious, leather-wrapped interior.