2021 has been a wild ride and there are still a few months left. However, despite the many challenges, we still have a lot to be thankful for as we round the back straight and get on the power towards 22.
We asked around the office and shop for what people were thankful for in 2021, and we got the normal results: health, family, solid employment- things like that. Unfortunately for everyone, that is not very effective keyword bait. So we went back to the drawing board, did some research, and got a little help fromAutoBlogas to what people are actually thankful for!
What are People Actually Thankful for in their Cars?
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto:
Even when you have to plug in, these are two of the most searched features when it comes to any vehicle on the planet. People want to know if their car is going to have this awesome technology that really has taken car-to-phone compatibility to the next level. When bluetooth first came out in cars it was often seen as a major luxury feature, but it was also a pain! You needed a degree in advanced electronics to make it work right in some models.
Now it is so simple your grandmother can use it- and she probably does! We love Apple Carplay and Android auto equally, because they both do exactly what they are designed to do. They both make pairing your car and vehicle for everything from calls to podcasts extremely simple! 53% of people looking for a car are looking for one with Apple Carplay or Android auto depending on where their cell phone allegiances lie.
Remote Start:
Remote start is a feature that is popular when you get to extremes in climate. In places where it gets really hot or really cold- the searches for this feature spike. Here in Rochester you can look out your window right now and figure out why people search for cars with remote start. No one likes getting into a frozen car on a dark morning, after scraping the thing off for half an hour, before having to dig a hole at the end of your driveway so you can get to work!
With remote start though, you can have your interior set to the temperature you like, with the heated seats on- dig yourself out and get straight into a toasty warm car. And that’s without the inevitable avalanche that comes from trying to get into your car to turn it on. Remote start- no avalanche onto your seat and you get into a warm car every time. That’s a win-win.
Heated Seats:
According to our parts department, the first heated seats debuted on the 1966 Cadillac de Ville. Now you can get them on just about anything from the factory instead of just the high end stuff. The aftermarket arena has even made it so that you can put heated seats in older vehicles powered from the cigarette lighter, or wired into the fuse box. Keep this one in mind, because Chevrolet just announced that they are axing heated seats due to a lack of semiconductor components. We’ll tighten you up.
The heated seats on modern cars are far superior to their predecessors. The heating elements get up to temp in a hurry and the heat is evenly distributed throughout. Some of our vehicles even have dual zone heated seats for when you want some heat on your back, but dont need to toast your buns. This is the heavy hitter when it comes to search, with 66% of all people looking for a car looking for one with heated seats.
All Wheel Drive:
Statistically this one can be divided almost straight across the Mason-Dixon. People in the north are very thankful for their AWD and search it almost 10x more often than people in the South. The number of searches involving AWD when you get into snowbelt cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, and even into the Adirondacks in areas such as Saratoga Springs and Lake Placid.
Why fight it? AWD genuinely makes your life easier especially when it comes to getting into/out of the end of your driveway after the plows go by. 54% of all shoppers are looking for something with AWD, but most of them live somewhere like Rochester!
Blind Spot Monitoring:
For a feature that is relatively quiet (except when it is working and someone is actually in your blindspot) 60% of people who are looking for a car right now are looking for one with blindspot monitoring. That seems really high, but it shows that it is one of the most useful features that we put into cars right now.
Ventilated Seats:
50% of people surveyed have searched for vehicles with this feature and we think that this is probably where the south really comes into the fray with our data sources. Ventilated seats are awesome in Rochester, NY in July and August. In Death Valley California, I would imagine they get used every single day!But we want to hear from you: what features on your car are you most thankful for?
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