The upcoming generation of car buyers is not exactly looking forward to self-driving cars.  Fears about safety, viruses, and hacks suggests that America’s love affair with cars and driving them is still alive.

Ketchum's Next-Gen Guide to the Connected Ride

Ketchum’s study of the youngest millennials (ages 20-24) and the top end of generation Z (ages 16-19) shows 43 percent fear autonomous vehicles could get hacked.  Only 29 percent are excited about self-driving technology and just 25 percent think driverless cars will make the roads safer.

When shopping for a vehicle, price (75 percent) and safety (74 percent) are the top two criteria for “GenZennials,” an estimated population of 39 million in the U.S.

Features drawing the most interest are alternative forms of fuel/energy (43 percent), augmented reality and heads-up display on the windshield (28 percent), gesture controls (26 percent), artificial intelligence personalizing the driving experience (25 percent) and mobile payment options in the dashboard (24 percent).

Lisa SullivanLisa Sullivan

“This microgeneration has grown up steeped in technology, so you might expect them to be ahead of the curve in terms of their readiness to embrace the future of transportation,” said Lisa Sullivan, executive VP and director of Ketchum’s North American Technology Practice. “While the data exposes some hesitation, it also helps us identify and understand significant variances, even within this microgeneration. The results provide some clear signposts to both the automotive and technology industries in how to appeal to the upcoming car buyer.”

Ketchum conducted a national online survey of 999 16- to 24-year-olds from Dec. 5 to Dec. 19, 2016.  The margin of error is +/- 3 percent.

Downloadable infographic on the customer segments can be found at https://www.ketchum.com/next-gen-guide-connected-ride