Shoppers Want More Creative Thinking in Leasing; Not Interested in Autonomous Driving

CINCINNATI, OHIO (March 24, 2015) – Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, released its latest report addressing the future of automotive trends as told by car shoppers and consumers. Swapalease.com surveyed more than 2,500 drivers and car shoppers across the U.S. to find out how they’d like to shop for cars in the future, among other car-related findings. Among the findings, the vast majority of car shoppers today are not excited about car-sharing services, nor autonomous driving.

The online survey, presented to drivers across North America between February 20 – March 15, also showed some key gender differences in how shoppers would like to see the automotive experience in the future. Both men (66%) and women (56%) would most prefer to identify the car they like and then have dealers submit their best bids. However, women (35%) are interested in ‘showtailing’ where they look at cars at the dealership but then buy/lease online; while men (33%) would like to buy/lease cars online without ever stepping into the dealership.

Key Findings:

• In terms of finance options, the combined genders (66%) would prefer to see all their financing and rate options online ahead of time. Separately, though, more men (45%) than women (27%) would be interested in lenders bidding for their finance business ahead of time.

• In terms of vehicle delivery, the combined genders (65%) would prefer to still pick up their car at the dealership. With all the talk of drones, only 6% of car shoppers say they’d like their car delivered by one.

• Regarding lease terms, the combined genders (51%) would prefer to select the lease package that’s right for them from a menu with various options such as mileage and upfront money. Separately, most men (51%) would like to get out of any lease with 90 days’ notice, while most women (54%) would like to lease month-to-month with no extended terms.

• Both genders agree that rear back-up camera systems (65%) and in-car Wifi (60%) are the tech features that will most influence their shopping decision in the future. However, lane departure warning systems saw a large difference, with 52% of men indicating that as an influential technology as opposed to just 31% of women.

• Both genders are not at all interested in using a car-sharing service such as Uber (43%) as well as autonomous driving (37%).

“The automotive industry continues to evolve before our eyes, especially when it comes to the types of cars manufacturers are producing,” said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. “We’d like to see the industry break out of the mold more when it comes to lease packages and more flexible terms, and this survey shows car shoppers would be in favor of some creative thinking on those fronts.”

About Swapalease.com:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Swapalease.com is the world’s largest automotive lease marketplace and the pioneer in facilitating lease transfers online. More specifically Swapalease.com matches individuals who want to get out of their lease with people who are looking for short-term lease agreements. Prospective buyers can search the listings for the exact vehicle they want, and then register for a nominal fee, allowing them to use Swapalease.com’s safe online system to contact the prospective seller and close the deal. For more information about Swapalease.com or how to exit your lease early, call 866-SWAPNOW or visit www.swapalease.com.