Since the question – ‘Why do South Africans choose the cars that they do?’ – is being posed on Stuff, you know that the answer is going to be technology-related.
A survey conducted by Accenture, which took in 14,000 drivers in twelve countries, found that South African drivers in particular are influenced in their vehicular purchase choices by the technology available in the car. The trend is a global one but local drivers are mostly influenced by items like safety features and, by the looks of things, South Africa would be quite keen on autonomous vehicles as well.
South African drivers are above the global average in wanting safety features like night-vision, collision and blind-spot warnings, a fatigue warning system or something that will help passengers control a vehicle in the event of a driver emergency.
We also double the global usage of navigation devices (34% compared to 17%), are extremely interested in a breakdown reporting system and (and this one should be REALLY obvious) congestion/traffic reporting services would catch the eye of a mere 89% of South African drivers. In short, South African drivers seem to feel that improved motoring technology would improve their lives considerably.
Ciaran Seoighe, automotive MD for Accenture SA, said “There is high consumer interest in connected-car technologies, particularly in the emerging markets. South Africans in particular are already the highest users of vehicle tracking services and show the highest demand of all consumers surveyed for additional safety features.”
“These include automated emergency alerts in the event of a crash, fatigue and lane changing warning systems as well as collision avoidance capabilities. The challenge in South Africa will be to provide the support and infrastructure required to meet this demand in the short-term.”