Fresh off the press at Nissan, the successful vehicle manufacturer proud of its significant UK workforce and general presence, is news that will no doubt particularly resonate with contractors and other businesspeople.

Thrusting a gentleman called Patrick Keenan into the spotlight, the firm behind the ubiquitous Qashqai SUV has pulled the covers off some interesting stats relating to what criteria car buying and leasing customers prioritise when choosing a particular make and model.

On the back of a study entitled ‘Connected car: automotive value chain unbound’ by McKinsey and Company, Nissan’s European Technical Centre based in Cranfield in the UK has poured much investment into one area in particular – the pairing of Android, Apple, Windows and other smartphones.

This is because a staggering 28% of new car buyers place more importance on whether their smartphone will connect easily with a particular model than on its fuel consumption, practicality, performance or other merits. A hefty 41% of drivers who spend more than 20 hours each week in their cars admit that they would switch to another car brand purely in order to obtain more seamless smartphone connectivity.

With thirteen percent of those surveyed saying they would actually overlook a certain model if it didn’t provide internet connectivity, these statistics highlighted by Nissan show just how reliant motorists are on holding conversations via in-car Bluetooth telephone systems and even using the internet on the move.

“In many ways, such findings are not surprising, considering how synonymous with everyday life things like managing emails, conference calls, browsing the web and using social media from a vehicle have become”, comments Lee Wolstenholme, director of Stockport-based car leasing firm Vehicle Consulting.

Nissan’s Patrick Keenan has been nicknamed ‘the man with 40 phones’ and his role is to keep the lines of communication open between the new vehicles and new phones coming onto the market. His desk drawers are reportedly stuffed full with dozens of phones, helping him to fine-tune Nissan’s connectivity technology. “My job is 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,” Patrick commented.

Cars typically have a lifecycle of five or six years, whereas smartphones tend to be replaced by new models every two years, so Patrick and his team at Nissan will undoubtedly remain busy.

Umbrella.co.uk contractors have access to the best car leasing deals available through Vehicle Consulting, so all you need to do is visit their website and make sure you quote ‘Umbrella’ when you contact them.