A lack of trust is not the only contributing factor to the lack of widespread interest in automated driving and parking, according to Consumers and Automated Driving: Looking Beyond Trust, a new report by Strategy Analytics.

The report says the user experience of autonomous vehicles (AV) has many facets; consumers' hesitance with AVs extends to usefulness and usability. Some autonomous driving features simply cannot replace the joy experienced when driving.

The report, based on a survey of car owners in China, the US, and Western Europe, finds that interest in automated features shows signs of a rebound, but mere exposure to autonomous technology will not be sufficient to address the myriad of consumer concerns.

Derek Viita, report author and Senior Analyst IVX, explained: “In order to get riders on board with assistance systems and even fully automated bus/taxi services, stakeholders need to cater not just toward Early Adopters, but also towards a proportion of the large consumer base who have no interest in this technology. Gaining trust should be part of that effort, but we must also look beyond assuming trust is the only barrier and fully educate consumers on the usefulness and usability of autonomous driving features — they can still enjoy the experience, even when using the autonomous features.”

According to Chris Schreiner, Director, IVX, Two remedies that could potentially mitigate the interest and usefulness issues are:

■ an effort at the interface design level, to improve communication of system status and hand-off/takeover requests.

■ an effort at the marketing and dealer education level, to help the “front lines” better explain the benefits of these features to hesitant buyers.