More Than Half of Connected Homes Interested in Voice Control for Car, Says Parks

Some 57 percent of U.S. broadband households are interested in voice control features for their car, said a Wednesday Parks Associates report. Interest is highest among consumers who own smart speakers or voice recognition on smartphones, and is high among consumers planning to buy a car soon, it said. A quarter of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a new vehicle in the next 12 months, and more than 75 percent are interested in voice control as a feature, said Parks analyst Kristen Hanich. Parks predicts that, beyond directions and music control, consumer use of voice control in the car will parallel those for voice on smartphones and smart speakers for locating businesses, accessing weather information and sending emails or texts. Voice control will create new demands for data services that extend to the car, said Parks. "As consumer interest in voice control and connected safety features rises, there is a parallel rise in interest in car data plans, preferably bundled with consumers' current mobile data plan," Hanich said. Consumers are currently limited in their options for data sharing, she said, leaving opportunities for mobile service providers and third parties to “forge partnerships with automakers and dealers to aggregate billing, improve the onboarding process for car buyers, and enhance the consumer experience overall."