ENGINE's Auto Survey Reveals Data Privacy And Trust Is A Major Concern Between Consumers And Auto Manufacturers

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Dec 16, 2019, 11:54 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey conducted by ENGINE Insights, the research and data services division at ENGINE, a global, media and marketing services company, reports that 65% of recent and intending car buyers have one or more connected car features in their current car, but are concerned about data security and how their data might be used (54%). Furthermore, 19% say data management concerns could stop them in the future from getting a Connected Car.

ENGINE's "Connected Car" survey reports that data security fears are universal, spanning across generations – 54% of Millennials, 52% of Generation Xers and 55% of Baby Boomers all agree with the statement, "I think that connected car data could be used in ways I wouldn't like." However, Millennials are the most accepting of the data trail a connected car leaves behind – 40% agree with the statement, "It's just the unavoidable trail I leave behind when online, like footprints on a beach."

According to the survey, 65% of all recent and intending car buyers have a strong interest in understanding how their personal information is handled by companies. In addition, 50% keep up with innovations in vehicle technology, such as the self-driving car.

Millennials are more relaxed when it comes to their potential connected car data being misused, but they are still concerned: 37% say it "isn't something I worry about," while the position is worse for Baby Boomers, who are a key Connected Car buying group, just 28% say it isn't "something I worry about." Gen X is in the middle – 32% report not being worried about how their data is being used.

Most interestingly, the survey also reveals that trust is a major issue between auto manufacturers and their consumers, when recent and intending car buyers were provided with a list of auto brands and asked if they trusted them to protect their data - trust level scores were low.

Overall, Toyota was the most trusted brand at 20%, Honda ranked second at 19%, Chevrolet third (16%), and Ford and Lexus tied for fifth at 14%. Tesla vehicles are among the most technologically sophisticated on the market and yet they have a positive trust score of just three percent. Volkswagen has a zero percent trust score while Mini is at -2 percent and Peugeot is at -4 percent!

"The fact that auto makers are so widely dispersed on consumer trust suggests that each has a unique set of challenges to face. The first step for each must therefore be to do the research that delineates the root of their specific problems," said Andy Turton, SVP, Head of Transportation and Mobility, ENGINE Insights.

Methodology
A total of 2,007 interviews were conducted between November 4^th and 10^th, 2019 with recent and intending car buyers by ENGINE Insights. All participants were auto owners. Fifty-one percent acquired their current vehicle as new and 49% used. Sixty-five percent have one or more connected car features in their current car.

ABOUT ENGINE
ENGINE is a global, full-service media and marketing services company that unites culture and commerce to move brands forward faster. We are: Driven by data. Fueled by imagination. Powered by technology. Founded in 2005, ENGINE has global headquarters in New York and 16 offices across North America, the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific. ENGINE empowers clients to outperform in the present and win in the future with its vast range of marketing solutions including – insights, creative, media, data and technology. Find out more at enginegroup.com and follow @engineworldwide.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Laura Czaja
Director, Corporate Communications
ENGINE
1-212-463-6212
[email protected]

SOURCE ENGINE