In a recent consumer poll regarding the top brands that they trust to develop safe and reliable fully autonomous vehicles, Tesla was ranked at #1 out of the 56 brands respondents were asked about.
The poll named 56 brands, and was comprised of both automakers and popular technology companies such as Apple, Tesla, and Volvo. Consumers chose the brands they trusted the most as well as the brands they trusted the least to develop safe and reliable autonomous vehicles.
The polling company also explored just how ready consumers are to embrace autonomous vehicle technology while noting that no matter how many automakers are working on this tech, if the consumer isn’t ready for it, then this could slow the pace of adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. One thing the study found out was that younger generations are more welcoming to autonomous vehicles.
The brands trusted the most by consumers to develop safe, reliable, fully autonomous vehicles are as follows:
- Tesla.
- Toyota.
- BMW.
- Chevrolet.
- Ford.
- Apple.
- Honda.
- Audi.
- Subaru.
- Cadillac.
The fact that only one out of the top ten isn’t an automaker is very telling. Although, that could change if Apple actually does come out with an Apple Car.
Yes, this is a Tesla pretending to be an Apple Car. Photo by Zach Shahan, CleanTechnica
One key difference between the Tesla and Toyota rankings is the age range between those who picked them as their most trusted brand. The younger consumers trust Tesla more while the older consumers have more trust in Toyota, the study found.
Consumers & Autonomous Vehicles
The poll and full study was published by AutoPacific here. One thing it found is that consumers are not comfortable with fully autonomous vehicle technology (yet). Younger drivers are the most comfortable with autonomous vehicles, and AutoPacific noted that age will play a key role in future acceptance and adoption of the technology.
When asked about their comfort level being driven in a fully autonomous vehicle, 40% of the respondents between the ages of 18–29 said they would be comfortable, while only 18% of drivers 60 and older said the same.
Ed Kim, President and Chief Analyst of AutoPacific, shared thoughts about autonomous vehicle technology and the study. He said:
“This is technology that most consumers are going to need to see and experience for several years before becoming comfortable.
“It’s different than any other automotive technology that’s currently out there in that you’d be truly putting your vehicle in control of the drive one hundred percent.”
The study also found that the large majority of its respondents plan to wait until there is a proven track record of reliability before embracing the technology.
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