Survey: electric vehicle fans do want an Apple Car

A study by Morpace, a market research and consulting firm, says that consumers who own hybrid or electric vehicles “have a high level of trust and interest in an electric vehicle” from Apple. The report also says that Apple plans to manufacture such a vehicle by 2020.

The Morpace survey was conducted among more than 250 U.S. based electric and/or hybrid vehicle owners who are part of the Morpace MyDrivingPower online community. The study received a 44 percent response rate, and was designed to gauge consumer appetite for Apple’s electric vehicle.

The consumers in the online panel consistently held the Apple brand in high esteem. More than three quarters of the consumers would be “somewhat likely,” “very likely” or “extremely likely” to purchase an Apple electric vehicle.

Among the other notable highlights of the survey:

° Thirty-four percent of consumers would be “extremely” or “very” likely to purchase a new Apple electric vehicle.

° Sixty-four percent of consumers would be willing to pay between US$30,000 and $50,000 for an Apple electric vehicle in 2020; another 22 percent would be willing to pay more than $50,001.

° The vast majority of consumers expect the design of an Apple electric vehicle to “be better” than other electric vehicles (79 percent).

° Tesla was named by consumers to be the best brand partner for Apple (42 percent).

“Google’s continued development of a driverless vehicle brings added benefit to Apple by paving the way for technology companies in the vehicle space,” says Morpace Vice President David Myhrer.