A recent study conducted by AutoPacific indicates future buyers of new vehicles want a built-in dash cam more than any other new vehicle feature.
The study saw AutoPacific ask 1,000 vehicle owners about the top features they want on their next vehicle. Participants were presented with 16 different features from categories including safety/security, self-driving, comfort/convenience, and connectivity and were asked whether or not they would want the feature on a future car, truck or SUV.
The feature that came out on top was a built-in dash cam, with 70% of survey participants saying they would want this feature on the next car, truck or SUV they decide to buy. While built-in onboard cameras are quite rare in production vehicles, they are an extremely common aftermarket addition – especially among those who commute in big cities and larger metropolitan areas and rideshare drivers. Demand for built-in dash cams was highest among buyers who plan to spend more than $50,000 on their next vehicle, though AutoPacific says the technology was still popular among those who plan to spend under $30,000, as well.
GM is one of the few automakers that offers customers a built-in video recording option from the factory. Some GM performance vehicles offer the Performance Data Recorder as an option, which is meant to record track footage but can also be used to record on public roads. There’s also the Surround Video Recording System, which was offered on the now-defunct Cadillac CT6 sedan and served as a surround-view safety and security camera and onboard dash cam.
The second most common feature people wanted on their next car, truck or SUV was “vehicle airbags.” We’re not entirely sure what this means due to the vague wording, but AutoPacific could be referencing the exterior airbag system that ZF showed off last year. Third was a head-up display (HUD), while over-the-air system updates and an exterior 360-degree security camera completed the top five most desired vehicle features.
Notably, three of the five of the most desired vehicle features pertain to safety and security. The other two, those being the HUD and over-the-air-updates, relate to in-vehicle technology. Not surprisingly, many consumers seem to place a very high priority on safety and security and up-to-date technology when shopping for a new vehicle – trends automakers will certainly be acting on in the coming years.
Comments
GM offers two different Thinkware Dashcams as part of their accessories program that can be dealer installed.
Camera an option.
HUD should be standard equipment.
A HUD is excellent, but when you look at option packages it certainly doesn’t fit to be a standard feature unless we’re talking Escalade, even just a small 4″. It should however be available on all models and then maybe standard on premium trims.
Another thing to shut off.
After recently moving to Florida, and seeing that people in Florida CAN’T DRIVE, I have been thinking of getting one of these for our cars to prove that it would be the other person’s fault. My wife was in an accident, and the driver was trying to say it was not his fault. Good but bad, was four cars were involved, and the three drivers all said it was that other drivers fault. Insurance is stupid high in Florida, and if there could be a price break on the premium by having a dash cam installed, then I say yes.
Dashcam should be required by law. Provides evidence for any event a driver face. Crash, police detention, support for other drivers (point of view) , even funny things.
Chevrolet’s C8 Corvette appears to offer a great system and with MicroSDXC flash memory cards going up to 1 TB in capacity, there’s no reason why General Motors couldn’t incorporate the technology across the fleet.
Ya know what would be a nice feature to have?
Ever see those cheap, goofy looking foil shades people put on their windshields on hot days? They look stupid, but they do work.
Why not build one into the top of the windshield? They already put em in the rear of certain luxury cars. It would be a lot cleaner looking and pretty cool. Plus, with all the dark color options and black interiors, cars seem to keep getting hotter. This would keep them cooler.
My 2018 XTS has a HUD. I like it. As a result I never look at the dashboard any more except for a quick glance at the gas gauge. If the gas gauge were built in to the HUD then Cadillac could get rid of the entire dash board. Gee, would I miss my tach? XTS is not a car for 70s geezer to do power shifting or burnouts.
I would opt for that on my vehicles if the manufacture provided it.
I am concerned that the GM GPS is going to be the same as in the C7.
It was slow, complicated to use and had limited range, i.e., wouldn’t operate
in mall parking lots.
Would far sooner have a TomTom in place for far less in price and way
better performance.
According to a previous GMA article: “GM Cars To Integrate Google Voice Assistant, Navigation, Apps by 2021 onward.”
So it looks like the Nav is going to be powered by Google Maps underneath just with a skin for the vehicle.
Technology changes very rapidly, these days, The GPS system for the C7 Corvettes was likely designed around 10 years ago, back in the dinosaur days, as far as electronics go. Anything a car manufacturer offers in 2020, and beyond, will continue to get better and better, offering more features and faster response as the devices begin using newer, faster CPU chips.
Dash cams built in? Then your insurance company is going to want to monitor that. No thanks, don’t want to be penalized for going over the posted speed limit to pass a vehicle.
Out of all 5 of those “top 5 features car buyers want on their next new vehicle” I don’t want any of them. None. Not even one.
Okay fine, don’t want a dash cam? How about this… If you get in an accident caused by a red light runner and he and a witness both say you caused it but you know the light was green for you? The only way you are getting out of it is if you have a Dash Cam to stop the false claim and he said/she said situation..
Then run an aftermarket dash cam. Problem solved. That’s what I do in my vehicles, rather not have GM, big brother or the insurance company know what I’m doing with my vehicle when and where.
It’s like people who get the plug in OBDII for the insurance company to monitor your acceleration and braking to save a few bucks. You want to open her up on the highway a bit with no one around, accelerate to pass or to avoid a crash. Brake hard because a kid runs out after his ball in the street; then your premium goes up for that month? Wtf is that haha. I can see dash cams being used in the same way.
I was told that if I have the GM dash cam hard wired into my new XT6 (21) that it would void my warranty.
Why isn’t it an option, if not standard? Why doesn’t the rear view camera work at recording all of the time? All of that tech and it only works when your in reverse. Please put the 6 disk CD player radios back in as well.