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So, it would appear that Nissan has discovered that it's not dodgy exterior styling, nor an impractical and badly-made interior, nor duff dynamics which puts buyers off purchasing a new car - instead, the killer for the salesman's commission is whether the vehicle can pair to the customer's smartphone or not.
The carmaker has looked into the findings of the McKinsey and Company study entitled 'Connected Car: Automotive Value Chain Unbound' to find out that buyers might like everything else about the car - the aesthetics, the cost, the economy and the way it drives - but if it won't connect up properly to their beloved handset, they'll walk away from the deal.
Apparently, the study found that: 28 per cent of buyers prioritise connectivity over and above all other car features; 12 per cent would not buy a car that isn't connected to the internet; and 20 per cent would switch to another car brand for better connectivity. That last number rises to 41 per cent for drivers who spend more than 20 hours a week in their cars.
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Nissan is using the data to develop its latest in-car connectivity programmes for its best-selling models like the Juke and Qashqai, and leading the manufacturer's European team is Patrick Keenan, who is known as 'the man with 40 phones' inside Nissan. His desk drawers at Nissan's European Technical Centre in Cranfield, UK, are stuffed with various makes and types of phone, which he uses to fine-tune connectivity.
Patrick says: "Today's new cars have a lifecycle of five or six years before a new version is launched, but a mobile phone will only be on the market for less than two years before it's replaced. Keeping cars and phones talking to each other is the crux of my job. I have to make sure anyone who walks into a Nissan showroom anywhere in Europe doesn't walk out again because a car they want to buy won't pair with their phone."