Cars as a Status Symbol with Technological Appeal

Cars – a means of transportation like any other? Not according to younger people. For the majority of 18 to 34-year-old drivers, they are a status symbol, with modern in-car technology seen as particularly attractive. 

The Continental Mobility Study 2024 shows that younger people have an emotional attachment to their cars. The majority of 18 to 34-year-olds in Germany, China and the USA see cars as a status symbol. In Germany, just over half (54 percent) share this opinion. A closer look at China and the USA reveals that approval rises significantly among respondents aged 25 to 34 – in both countries, seven out of 10 respondents attribute this role to cars. This is linked to the expectation that cars of the future should be more than just a safe means of transportation. Sophisticated technical equipment and an interior with a high level of comfort and convenience are becoming increasingly important. 

Among younger people, the study found that the car owes much of its status to their enthusiasm for new technologies that set trends and make driving safer. In Germany, two-thirds of 18 to 34-year-olds believe that self-driving cars are a useful development. In China, nine out of 10 agree with this view, while seven out of 10 do so in the USA. Whereas in China this enthusiasm even extends to seniors, in Germany and the USA it is predominantly younger drivers who are in favor of automated and autonomous driving,especially since digital assistance promises enhanced safety.Accordingly, around two-thirds of younger drivers in Germany think assistance systems and other advanced technologies should be mandatory in cars and significantly more do so in the USA and China.  

In addition, younger people up to the age of 44 are more positive about electric mobility than older people. In Germany and the USA, more than two-thirds of under 35-year-olds are considering buying an all-electric car as their next vehicle. Among those aged 55 to 64, this figure is only 28 percent.