From perceived typicality of in-vehicle stylistic cues to autonomous vehicle acceptance: the roles of perceived behavioral control and trust.

INTRODUCTION: Although autonomous driving technology has advanced, limited public acceptance remains a major barrier. Moving beyond studies focused on isolated design domains, this study examined whether the perceived typicality of stylistic cues across automated driving behavior, vehicle interior design, and human-machine interface (HMI) presentation is associated with autonomous vehicle acceptance. METHODS: The three domain scores were averaged to form the observed In-Vehicle Style Typicality Index (IVSTI). In a stimulus-based online survey, 202 participants evaluated eight stimuli and completed measures of perceived behavioral control (PBC), trust, and behavioral intention. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed associations and indirect effects. RESULTS: The IVSTI was positively associated with PBC and behavioral intention, but not with trust. The indirect association through PBC was statistically significant, whereas the indirect association through trust alone was not. A significant serial indirect association through PBC and trust was observed in the hypothesized model, although alternative analyses did not establish a unique ordering between PBC and trust. Domain-level analyses showed that all three domains were positively associated with PBC when examined separately, whereas only HMI-style typicality retained a significant unique association when modeled simultaneously. DISCUSSION: These findings extend autonomous vehicle acceptance research by integrating three conceptually distinct in-vehicle stylistic domains and identifying PBC as an important statistical pathway linking perceived typicality with behavioral intention.