2019 Global Automotive Consumer Study

Consumers pump the brakes on autonomous vehicle adoption

Consumer interest in self-driving vehicles lags the pace of investment in advanced vehicle technology, according to data from our most recent annual survey, the 2019 Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study. In this year’s study, we continue to examine consumer interest in advanced automotive technologies, including autonomous vehicles, and compare and contrast automotive consumer trends in markets worldwide.

Key findings:

• Consumer trust in autonomous vehicles (AVs) appears to be stalling. In the United States, 50 percent of survey respondents do not believe AVs will be safe—nearly the same as last year’s 47 percent but drastically different from 2017, when 74 percent voiced safety concerns. Consumer confidence in AV safety also plateaued in China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Germany.
• Consumers now have more choice than ever about mobility, leading to an array of new decisions about how to get around and how to connect while they’re on the move.
• Consumers are looking to governments to increase regulation. An overwhelming percentage of consumers in most countries indicated they wanted “significant oversight,” including 56 percent of US consumers.
• Electric vehicles (EVs) have captured worldwide consumer interest. While 29 percent of US survey respondents would prefer a hybrid, battery, or another alternative to traditional drive-trains for their next vehicle—up from 20 percent last year—low fuel prices, relaxed emissions standards, and fewer rebates could dampen US EV adoption.

Back to top

About the Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study

In September and October of 2018, Deloitte surveyed more than 25,000 consumers in 20 countries around the world to explore consumer automotive trends and preferences on a variety of critical issues in the automotive sector. The goal of the annual study is to answer key questions that can help companies prioritize and better position business strategies and investments.