Car Shoppers Rate Safety Features High Among "Must Have" Technologies For Next Purchase, Reports Kelley Blue Book

USB/Auxiliary Ports, Satellite Radio Also Important to KBB.com Visitors

IRVINE, Calif., June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New-vehicle shoppers rank safety and information features like back-up/blind spot cameras, recall advisor, stolen vehicle recovery and collision sensors high among "must have" technologies for their next purchase, reports Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  While 43 percent of consumers rate USB/auxiliary ports as the No. 1 "must have" feature, safety-related technologies were predominantly found among the top 10.¹

Top 10 "Must Have" Features Rated by Consumers¹

"Many car owners are still learning about the high-tech features available in new cars, which makes sense when you consider the average car on the road is more than 10 years old," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com.  "But these features will play an increasing role in consumer safety and convenience over the next decade, so educating car shoppers about their functions and benefits should be a top priority for automakers."

KBB.com survey data also revealed 39 percent of consumers choose a model to buy based on its available in-vehicle technology, including infotainment and navigation.¹

"Although a vehicle's infotainment system is not the main draw for a shopper, it can be the deal maker or breaker," said Arthur Henry, analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com.  "Younger buyers in particular are tech savvy in other aspects of their life, and these shoppers are looking for an infotainment system that complements their expectations."

To see KBB.com's full coverage of the 10 Most Useful In-Car Technologies, please visit http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/10-most-useful-in_car-technologies/.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+kbb.

¹ KBB.com In-Vehicle Technology Survey, 2014 Q4

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values, and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for three consecutive years.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

For further information: Chintan Talati, 949-267-4855, ctalati@kbb.com; Joanna Pinkham, 404-568-7135, jpinkham@kbb.com; Brenna Robinson, 949-267-4781, berobinson@kbb.com; Natalie Kumaratne, 949-267-4770, nkumaratne@kbb.com