The 10 items most desired by new vehicle buyers in 2024
What would you most like to find in your next new vehicle? That's the question once again posed by the American firm AutoPacific to some 15,000 drivers planning a purchase over the next three years. The results of its 2024 survey are now in.
The top two positions are occupied by wireless charging for electronic devices, first in the front and then in the rear seats, with 44% and 37% support respectively among respondents. This is indeed a practical convenience... at least when the phone or device in question is compatible with the system.
Heated and ventilated front seats complete the podium of most desired items (37%). These days, the vast majority of vehicles sold in Canada include heated seats as standard, but few also offer a ventilation function to keep the body cool on warmer days. Will automakers get the message from buyers?
This is followed by rain-sensing wipers (36%), a sunroof or glass roof (35%) and the ability to create driver profiles for a more personalized experience (35%). It can be a big help for families with multiple drivers who have to share a vehicle,” says Robby DeGraff, AutoPacific's Director of Product and Consumer Research. Creating your own driver profile takes a bit of work at first, but once it's set up, everything automatically adjusts to your preferences every time you get in the vehicle.”
The item in seventh place may seem trivial, but it really isn't: a 120-volt outlet (34%). We agree: down with 12-volt outlets!
The rest of the top 10 features people want most are rear side window sunshades (33%), rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking (32%) and a built-in air compressor (31%). Of course, having well-inflated tires is useful for many reasons, but we're still surprised that so many drivers would want their next new vehicle to leave the factory with a compressor.
Narrowly missing out on the top prize, AutoPacific awards an honourable mention to systems that actively intervene when the driver becomes unresponsive, either by slowing the vehicle in its lane or by bringing it to a safe stop on the shoulder of the road. Together, these two functions garnered 45% support.
