Glass’s: Cars more like domestic appliances
Many younger buyers are viewing cars in a way that could eventually lead to significant changes in the design and sale of cars, says Glass’s.
Generation Y and those younger are learning to drive later, driving less when they do learn and might not see a car as a key to personal freedom in the traditional sense.
Rupert Pontin, head of valuations, said, ‘For decades, there was a set pattern to the way most cars were bought and sold, which often simply started with boys pinning pictures of Porsches and Ferraris to the walls of their bedrooms.
‘They learnt to drive at 17 and then embarked on a fairly predictable upgrade ladder of car buying, starting with an old banger and working their way up to whatever model their eventual income allowed, perhaps eventually buying one of those exotic sports machines.
‘This has changed. Many people still have a genuine love of cars and they remain a status symbol but, for others, they are becoming seen less as a means to personal freedom and more as something like a domestic appliance.’
Rupert pointed to the way that connectivity was becoming a key selling point for cars and even the fact that touchscreens were becoming the main in-vehicle interface.
‘The sophistication of connectivity between car and phone is already a key selling point for younger buyers and manufacturers are investing heavily in this area. For these buyers, the main aspect of a car may be nothing to do with the car itself but how well it allows them to communicate with the outside world.’
