There is an increasing awareness of safety, and security features in vehicles, especially PVs, as the survey conducted recently by Mobility Outlook and validated by Frost & Sullivan revealed the growing interest in these elements to safeguard the occupants and the vehicle per se.
The study on ‘Safety Behaviour of Indian Consumers, And Their Perception About Vehicle Security,’ was unveiled as part of the webinar on ‘Making Mobility Safe, Secure.’ The objective was to understand vehicle purchase behaviour (pre and ost COVID), gauge customer expectations and perceptions on safety and associated technologies in India, and assess the influence of Star Ratings in a vehicle purchase.
Respondents
Out of 270,000 responses received from across the country, there were 4,720 valid responses on safety behaviour and 4,681 on vehicle security.
Age Group
About 29% of the respondents were in the age group of 18-25, 37% in 26 - 35, 22% in 36-45, 8% in 46-55 and 4% above 56 years. Close to 50% of them owned motorcycles, 45% cars, 24% scooters, and 11% did not own anything.
Of the total, 85% intends to purchase new vehicles; the rest seems to prefer used vehicles. While the budget has largely remained the same, 30% of the respondents cited a budget reduction of up to 50%, owing to COVID.
Safety
On safety awareness, 27% of the respondents are unaware of safety ratings that call for more related features. However, in terms of safety ratings of used versus new vehicles, 38% of the surveyed prefer buying new vehicles.
Making safety features mandatory have had a positive influence as 82% knows ABS, 79% Airbags, 50% ESP, 40% Roll-over mitigation, 38% ISOFIX seats, and 14% is not sure on the safety features' influence. About three-fourths of the respondents would like to consider four or five star rated vehicles.
In terms of safety features, about 1/3rd of the respondents saying ‘not sure’ highlights the need to create awareness. While most chose the critical safety features, 16% said ‘not particular,’ which is a cause for concern, the survey pointed out. However, a good 58% of the respondents are willing to stretch the budget, considering safety rating as a priority. The rest may or may not consider as 24% of them said they drive only within city limits, 18% do not see value in paying extra for safety features, 16% believes that they are safe drivers, and 10% viewed that safety features are not used in everyday driving.
Security
Over two-thirds of respondents said they are aware of security risks and features, with 27% of surveyed knows alarms, 24% remote tracking systems, 21% keyless entry, 15% immobilisers, and 13% enhanced protection glazing.
The willingness to pay more for enhanced security features was visible among respondents, as 17% felt these features would enhance the resale value of their vehicles, 39% for better protection and 17% opined that it would increase resale value. It is reflected in close to one-third of the surveyed evinced interest in spending over INR 30,000 on security features.
About 30% believed that security features should be standard in vehicles. According to the survey, Tata Motors, followed by Maruti Suzuki and Honda Cars, offer maximum security features in their vehicles.
NB: For a detailed report, please write to us at: editorial@mobilityoutlook.com