Parkopedia: Chinese Drivers Highlight In-Vehicle Parking Information as the Most Valuable Connected Car Service

Determining the availability of parking near a destination has become the most requested connected car service by drivers worldwide, according to a new survey carried out by TechInsights. The report evaluated 28 connected car services by inviting 4,990 drivers worldwide, including 1,723 Chinese drivers, to rank their interest in each in-vehicle service.

The survey results show that the most popular in-vehicle features among Chinese drivers include assessing the availability of parking near their destination, route optimization and traffic conditions, and weather conditions that may impact the route. Among these, in-car parking information had a probability of choice for 66% of Chinese drivers surveyed as the most valuable connected car service. Filtering by vehicle brand, it was also revealed that owners of mid to high-priced vehicles request parking information features more than owners of lower-priced vehicles. The survey also found that drivers in China with larger vehicles (Large and SUV) rank reserving a parking space before arriving at their destination as the fifth most important feature, while smaller vehicle drivers expectedly rank it lower in priority, however, across all vehicle sizes, drivers increasingly expect parking space availability to be seamlessly integrated into the in-vehicle navigation process.

Unlike the US and Western European drivers surveyed, drivers in China are generally well aligned on what the most important use cases are when age is considered. The top two features requested by Chinese drivers in all age groups are: finding an available parking space near their destination and automatically predicting and navigating frequently traveled routes. In addition, for many younger Chinese drivers, in-vehicle payments have gone from an "optional" feature to a "strong” need. The in-vehicle payment market in China is expected to see 14.5% CAGR growth by 2030 - indicating that Chinese drivers have an increased level of trust in paying through their vehicles and want maximum convenience and a seamless user experience. Overall, interest in payment tasks across all demographics continues to increase year on year.

The report also highlighted that new in-vehicle features such as in-car gaming, email editing and sending, social media integration, and trip management are generally low priority in China and the rest of the world even though a growing number of connected cars are now equipped with these features.

In response to this latest research report, Neil Wu, Parkopedia China Business Development Manager, said: “China has a deficit of around 80 million parking spaces, which makes finding a space challenging in major cities across the country. Therefore, it is not surprising that Chinese drivers flagged parking availability information as their top connected car priority in the survey. Despite this, automakers in China are still failing to meet driver demand with their connected car offerings.”

“In Parkopedia’s latest China Driver Survey, connected car services in general were received positively by the majority of drivers whose vehicles had them, however, 1 in 7 Chinese motorists were not even aware whether their car includes parking information services. Consequently, OEMs need to ensure they provide the right range of connected car services to address driver demand and better communicate the features that are fitted to their vehicles to ensure motorists are maximizing featured technology and services that enhance journeys and increase brand loyalty.”

About Parkopedia 

Parkopedia is the leading connected car services provider used by millions of drivers and organizations such as Audi, Apple, BMW, Ford, Garmin, GM, Hyundai Kia, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Sygic, TomTom, Toyota, Volkswagen, and many others. Parkopedia helps drivers find and pay for parking, EV charging, fuelling and tolls in 15,000 cities across 89 countries. Parkopedia is also developing highly detailed parking maps and corresponding algorithms to help drivers and self-driving vehicles navigate to an open parking space indoors. Visit business.parkopedia.com for more information.

About TechInsights

The world’s most trusted source of actionable, in-depth intelligence related to semiconductor innovation and surrounding markets. With over 300 talented analysts and engineers, and a unique reverse engineering competency, we provide advanced technical and market analysis to organizations which will help guide them to make fact-based technology and intellectual property decisions.
Our content informs decision makers and professionals whose successes depend on accurate knowledge of the semiconductor industry – past, present, or future.
Our unmatched reverse engineering analysis, images, and expert commentary are accessed through the TechInsights Platform, the world’s largest research library of semiconductor and market analysis. Our customers include the most successful technology companies, who rely on TechInsights analysis to make informed business decisions faster and with greater confidence.