This is the conclusion of the American Automobile Association (AAA) . In a study it examined the 2018 models of 34 car brands. For the emergency braking assistant alone, it found 40 different names. Speed controllers for regulating distances (Adaptive Cruise Control) and all-round cameras were marketed under 20 different designations. The wide range of terms can have negative consequences, warns Greg Bannon of the AAA on npr.org . In the case of the automatic braking systems, for example, there are small differences that have a big impact: some simply reduce the speed, while others bring the vehicle to a complete stop – customers have to find that out for themselves. On cnet.com , Bannon adds that the proliferation of names even confuses engineers, so it is virtually impossible for customers to understand. As a solution, the AAA proposes standard names for the most important assistance systems - Surround View Camera, for example.

It could be that the automobile industry has never heard of the paradox of choice . It gets its German name – the “Marmelden-Paradoxon” – from an experiment in which some customers were given 24 types of jam to choose from and others just six. The larger choice did lead to more curious customers, but sales were significantly lower than in the comparison group with a smaller choice. The conclusion was drawn from this that too much choice overwhelms potential customers and they then opt to make no decision rather than making the wrong one.