Millenials want internet-connected cars

AROUND half of all ‘millennials’ would be interested in buying a car if it carried out internet-connected tasks for them – including letting their journey be tracked.

2016 Fiat 500 with TomTom Live connected services

That’s according to research from investment forecasting platform nVest Ventures, which examined the money-making potential in so-called ‘connected cars’, where the car and an outside device exchange data directly, without a smartphone as an intermediary device.

The survey found that 28% of millennials, defined as people born between 1981 and the turn of the millennium, would be interested in buying a car if they could pay for fuel directly from the car instead of paying at a kiosk or at the pump itself.

Tech giants like Apple and Google are locked into a race to provide the next generation of internet-based ideas for drivers in the near future.

According to the data, 51.3% of these potential car buyers want at least one connected car service.

The second-most popular service to attract the interest of millennials in the study was one that would allow relatives to track journeys to keep track of projected arrival times. One in four people were interested.

Monitoring other people appears to be less of a priority, with less than one in five interested in being able to check up on the driving habits of anyone borrowing their car.

Kerry Rheinstein, head of nVest, commented: “The traditional automotive industry needs to watch out with tech giants such as Apple and Google butting into their territory.

“Cars will have to stay connected to tap into wider consumer needs and attract the next generation of drivers. The automotive industry will face as much disruption as currently seen in the finance industry.”