The luxury division of the Korean car conglomerate, Genesis, ranked the highest for innovation among premium brands ahead of Lexus and BMW.
According to a recent J.D. Power study, Hyundai was ranked the best mass market brand for innovation. What is more impressive is that it took home this title for the 5th consecutive year. That is a testament to the fact that the Korean auto giant is doing something right. While the mass market space was dominated by Hyundai, the premium car brand category belonged to Genesis, a sub-brand of Hyundai. Interestingly, Kia secured the 2nd spot in the mass market section.
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Hyundai The Best Mass Market Brand For Innovation
The study shows that Hyundai received 518 points out of 1,000. Kia and GMC got 2nd and 3rd positions with 499 and 439 points, respectively. Among the premium brands, Genesis, Lexus and BMW took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions with 584, 535 and 528 points, respectively. Evidently, the Hyundai Motor Group is shining in the industry.
In total, 81,926 owners of new 2024 model-year vehicles were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. This included vehicles registered between April 2023 and February 2024. The most intriguing findings are as follows:
- New AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based technologies like smart climate control have become immensely popular among car owners.
- Other technologies like facial recognition, fingerprint sensor and interior gesture control don’t resonate with the owners so much. They feel these features try to solve a problem that they didn’t know existed.
- The hands-off tech (Autonomous Driving Capabilities) often results in frustration for the car owners. They feel they can carry out the tasks themselves. Also, the constant intervention in the form of sounds and signals makes driving problematic.
- On the other hand, the ADAS functions with hands-on tech is still useful. This includes functions like blind spot monitoring while backing up. Still, car owners prefer keeping their hands on the steering wheel and have some control, as you should.
- Another key area of discussion in this modern age is the excessive use of digital estate. We see modern cars with screens all across the dashboard. That is still not considered necessary by most car owners. If anything, it is frustrating if the driver is alone in the car and he/she has to take eyes off the road to use a function on the screen. The study shows only 10% of vehicles carry front passengers daily.
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Learn Electric Cars Says
Modern cars, especially EVs, have essentially become moving gadgets these days. A lot of focus is given to electronics, software, operating systems, smartphone integration, streaming platforms, and other such functionalities. With EVs, since almost everything is electric, the electronic architecture is an integral part of today’s cars. However, it becomes critical to question the necessity and functionality of some of these amenities. That will filter out things which we don’t need. In the end, only those functions will survive which actually solve a problem.