AutoPacific’s Newest Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS) Shows Increase in Demand for Autonomy and ADAS Features

The results of AutoPacific’s 2025 Future Vehicle Planner show some large changes in demand autonomous driving and ADAS features over 2024 results.

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, July 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The results of AutoPacific’s 2025 Future Vehicle Planner are in with preliminary data showing some large changes in demand for many features, including higher demand for some autonomous driving and ADAS features over 2024 results. The Future Vehicle Planner, a respected source widely used by automotive product planners, marketers and technology development teams, contains both the Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS) and the EV Consumer Insights Study. Now in its 4th year, the study surveys licensed drivers ages 18 and older in the U.S. who intend to acquire a new, not used, vehicle within the next 3 years. With responses from nearly 18,000 new vehicle intenders, the 2025 Future Vehicle Planner has AutoPacific’s largest sample to date for this study and covers a multitude of new vehicle characteristics, as well as extensive psychographics and demographics, to help automakers and suppliers make informed vehicle and product decisions.

Top Wanted Features Include Autonomy, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

The most wanted feature for 2025 with demand from 43% of new vehicle intenders is hands-off semi-autonomous driving for highway use only with driver attention required, with in-market examples including GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise. While there are levels of autonomy higher than this, demand for the feature increased 20%pts over 2024, speaking volumes about the future direction of features that allow the vehicle to take more control of driving.

Tied for first, also with demand from 43% of consumers, is a more common ADAS feature, rear automatic emergency braking. Falling into the Driver Assistance category, this feature is defined in the survey as, “when approaching an obstacle while reversing, the system will alert the driver while braking the vehicle to prevent moving further rearward and colliding with the obstacle.” Having become more commonplace in both mainstream and luxury vehicles, consumers have had more opportunities to experience the real safety benefits of helping avoid rearward collisions with passing vehicles or pedestrians.

Six other autonomous driving and driver assistance features make the top 15 most wanted features in 2025, including: adaptive cruise control with active lane centering AND stop and go, lane change assist, hands-off, fully-autonomous driving for all speeds to a pre-specified destination with no steering wheel and NO option to manually drive the vehicle, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic emergency braking, emergency evasive steering assist, and hands-off, fully-autonomous highway and city driving to a pre-specified destination with option to still drive the vehicle when desired, driver attention NOT required.

Whether for Convenience or Safety, New Vehicle Intenders Have More Trust in Autonomy

AutoPacific’s research has shown that autonomous driving and ADAS features have struggled to capture strong demand from new vehicle intenders over the past couple of years primarily due to unproven technology and lack of consumer comfort with their vehicle having control over situations. It seems the tune has shifted as some technologies become more prominent in new vehicles and consumers gain experience and confidence in them. 2025 data show an increase in the percentage of new vehicle intenders overall who say they “trust advanced car safety systems that prevent accidents automatically,” as well as those who agree with the statement, “I want my vehicle to be able to safety drive itself so I can do other things (read, watch movies, work, etc.).”

A younger future vehicle buyer is also a major factor as AutoPacific’s data over the years has shown that Generation Y and Z consumers have higher comfort with autonomous driving and ADAS features and also higher demand. The median respondent age for the 2025 Future Vehicle Planner is 39, compared to 44 in 2024. “As younger generations continue to enter the new vehicle market, they bring more knowledge of technology and enthusiasm for having it in their vehicle,” says AutoPacific director of marketing and consumer research Deborah Grieb.

Despite fully-autonomous driving capability not yet being applied in commercially available passenger vehicles, consumers are starting to be able to experience the technology at varying levels through robotaxis in a few metropolitan areas, and in certain environments such as industrial parks and tourist attractions. “With a global autonomous vehicle race underway, increased consumer demand and confidence are great news for the U.S. market,” says Grieb.

New Must-Have vs Nice-to-Have Exercise Reveals Top Demanded Features Can Make or Break the Deal

New to the study in 2025, AutoPacific asks respondents if the features they say they want are must-haves, meaning they won’t buy a vehicle without it, or nice-to-have and could be sacrificed due to price or availability. Preliminary data reveals all-wheel drive, blind spot cameras, power front driver’s seat, parking sensors for the front and rear, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are most likely to make or break the deal with greater than 60% of respondents who want those features saying they are must-haves. These are commonly available and popular features with high installation rates in modern vehicles.

But new and emerging features with strong appeal are by their nature not common yet, and many of them are less likely to be “must-haves” despite strong consumer demand. This explains why hands-off semi-autonomous driving for highway use only with driver attention required, the top demanded feature overall, is only a must-have for 33% of consumers. “Great new ideas can be very appealing to consumers, but until they are commonplace, consumers are less likely to insist on having those new features in their next vehicles,” says Ed Kim, AutoPacific’s president and chief analyst. “Automakers that offer such highly demanded but uncommon features stand to have a competitive edge over their competition.”

About AutoPacific

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing research and product consulting firm providing clients with industry intelligence and sales forecasting. The firm, founded in 1986, also conducts extensive proprietary and syndicated research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers, and suppliers worldwide, including its highly recognized Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS). The company is headquartered in Long Beach, California with affiliate offices in Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Carolinas. Additional information can be found at http://www.autopacific.com.

Deborah Grieb
AutoPacific, Inc.
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