As Ford Authority reported several years ago, new vehicle shoppers have begun naming the dash cam as a highly-desirable feature these days, a trend that’s largely driven by an increase in road rage incidents and insurance fraud. Ford CEO Jim Farley followed that early last year by saying that video capture tech will play a big role in the future of the automobile, and since then, Ford Pro has launched a new integrated dash cam option for commercial customers, while also forming a joint-venture with ADT called Canopy that makes and sells that same part. Now, a new study reveals that the humble dash cam continues to explode in popularity, according to Automotive News.
This new report – the Future Demand Study – was conducted by automotive marketing research and consulting firm AutoPacific, and found that a large percentage of new vehicle shoppers want a dash cam in their next vehicle. The study queried 11,700 individuals that plan to buy a new vehicle in the next three years, of which around one-third expressed a desire for such a feature – regardless of the vehicle make or type, demographics, or any other distinguishing information.
Aside from using a dash cam to record things like track days or off-road outings, consumers are also likely looking to purchase one or buy a vehicle that already has one for a number of reasons, according to AutoPacific. That can include peace of mind, most notably, given the rise in accidents across the U.S. “The recorded footage can provide direct evidence to your car insurance company of what caused an accident instead of relying solely on eyewitnesses to determine how an accident occurred,” according to Progressive Insurance.
“They’re exploding in popularity,” said Robby DeGraff, a product and consumer insights analyst at AutoPacific. A vehicle owner can spend “a couple hundred bucks and you do get this really reliable, accurate, extra safety blanket. The roads are scary. I think people are seeing now that a dash cam is a good investment.”
We’ll have more studies like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet