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Research shows what switches buyers on

Researchers at Warwick University in the UK have found that purchasing decisions on upmarket €80,000 cars can be made on the flick of a switch – literally.

Warwick Manufacturing Group researchers Tom Wellings and Rebecca Cain found that the feel of switches on a €1,500 dashboard was frequently the deciding factor for people choosing cars in the medium to upper luxury category.

The dashboard has long been understood to be an important of the car-buying decision process, but Warwick says there had been little study before of the precise switches that customers prefer. Whereas in other situations in life a firm switch with a satisfying “click” was preferred, the research found that car buyers rate smoothness and quietness of operation at the top of the desirable list of switch characteristics.

The research team is now developing techniques that will allow automotive engineers to measure and enhance these factors, turning imprecise measures of satisfaction into engineering measurements that can help vehicle design.

The research was carried out as part of the Craftmanship section of the £70 million Premium Automotive R&D (PARD) project of work that Warwick Manufacturing Group is running with Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, and with backing from the West Midlands Advantage regional agency.