[astrodex]

Originally Posted by EV NXT

Think you can stop these developments when they eventually take place? You might have a rethink on the extent technology should advance though…

The technological evolution in cars had started more than 50 years ago, I remember hearing about scare stories when drive by wire was introduced. And if we step back a while, there are Luddites and American Tractor revolts etc. which all had the same underpinnings.

I won't be surprised if my kids think about cherishing the steering wheel and pedals after they get removed from autonomous cars in the not so distant future.

[Electromotive]

Telematics and OTA update capability.

I want it gone before it gets more entrenched. I don't care for any connected appliances, I don't want my car to update via some wireless signal. Hell, I don't want my car to have any kind of phone home capability unless it can be switched off.

The very fact that a car's software can be remotely updated is a dangerous thing. This means your car is not truly under your control. All software is buggy and it is a matter of time before OTA update capability is used to steal cars or to cause accidents (veiled assassinations).

With increased penetration of telematics, cars are becoming like phones. Always connected, always phoning home, always tracked. Soon enough telematics data will be made mandatory for buying and claiming insurance. Speed up on open highways? Your car is snitching about you to your insurance provider or may be even the traffic police. Expect premiums to go up or a fine or a flag on your license.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by Electromotive

Telematics and OTA update capability.

I want it gone before it gets more entrenched. I don't care for any connected appliances, I don't want my car to update via some wireless signal. Hell, I don't want my car to have any kind of phone home capability unless it can be switched off.

I'm 100% with you on this. This is one feature I'm willing to pay to get rid of. I can live with even the sunroof but not telematics.

I don't want any kind of tech, which enables tracking of my vehicle. If I lose it, I'll let the insurance pay me the IDV. For the greater risk, I don't mind paying a bit more in premiums.

All carmakers dipping their toes into telematics are 1 data breach away from getting 'cancelled' and losing a large portion of customer mindshare. At least they should outsource this stuff to data security companies. However, even then, the risk of data sharing with 'big brother' still exists. So, I'll choose a disconnected vehicle over a connected one any day.

ADAS is something I can get behind. Unfortunately, it's still in early stages and needs an internet connection to learn from other cars' experiences. But the sharing should remain anonymous and only to pool more data. ADAS pays back for itself in just 1 crash it manages to avoid. I'm hoping that the insurance premiums will go down once MG and Mahindra present enough data to justify lower probability of a crash.

[Electromotive]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

All carmakers dipping their toes into telematics are 1 data breach away from getting 'cancelled' and losing a large portion of customer mindshare. At least they should outsource this stuff to data security companies. However, even then, the risk of data sharing with 'big brother' still exists. So, I'll choose a disconnected vehicle over a connected one any day.

Unfortunately, vehicle performance is almost entirely dependent on software tuning (especially so with EVs) and OTA capability allows carmakers to ship broken software because everyone now follows agile methodology since the cost of fixing mistakes is low. No recall required, just push an OTA update. It is a license to be sloppy.

Telematics data is also very valuable for AI training so that's not going away either. As soon as there is a large enough base of vehicles with telematics, insurers will jump on it, make it mandatory for the rest, and big brother is always happy to have more spyware installed. 1984 is already here and we have embraced it with open arms.

The only ray of hope is that a hacking community develops around modding electric vehicles so OEM software can be replaced or neutered, like what is possible with Android.
Earlier one could pull out the SIM from the telematics unit, now they come with e-SIMs.

[RGK]

I loved to buy Mitsubishi Lancer for the simple reason of fewer electronics (except Aircon & Power Windows). I believe that too much electronics is one of the root causes of niggles and problems.

[clementw]

Personally technology is scary, too much of technology that is. The problem is we may never know where to draw the line as what was optional or a luxury earlier is now becoming default. The Fate of the furious movie shows a scene where a hacker starts cars remotely and causes damage with them. It makes you wonder how close to reality it can be.
I remember an incident in the 2015 Chennai floods when I saw from my balcony a M Class that was wading through a big pool of water and ground to a stop. The car locked itself and refused to start. The driver came out through the open sun roof. The car had to be towed away later. I fear if a malfunctioning electronic lock should prevent the passengers from exiting in an emergency.

So a balance is better

[H0RSEPOWER]

Well, we can never ignore technology, or say against it; just remember it is technology that have changed the mode of transport from bullock cart to automobiles!
Invention of various active & passive safety features surely saved thousands of lives. So those are always welcome.

But at the same time we have to admit the there is a fun quotient in being more involved with your car driving experience. Even though we want pothole free smooth roads, we ourself go to indulge in the fun of off-roading. Though for any average Joe, the convenience of transport from point A to point B is of more importance. For an auto enthusiast, the fun element is also needed, and for that some manual control is required for we people. Just for an example, I personally always prefer the manual gearbox over the automatic ones just for the pure joy & involvement in the driving experience.

[banana]

I sincerely want to thank each any everyone who had helped in making things that make a car (or maybe not just a car) better today.

I'm in favor of technology making lives better but, I'm not in favor of everything CONNECTED.

Anyone has a smartwatch or a smartphone over half a decade old that still works flawlessly ?

Do you think anyone will have the ability to run current (or newer) generation cars with CONNECTED tech after 3, 4 decades even if the love the vehicle so much.

I'm not against technology. There is some middle ground that we need to find. People have wrist watches, record players, books, furniture (if not cars) that are older than I am.

I do not think anyone would ever like next generation to inherit a connected car, a smart phone/watch, or an ebook reader.

Technology made everything possible, beautiful, affordable and also a kitchen sink.

[please quote and reply if you disagree, no hard feelings]

[prajwalmr62]

Let me address some people's concern here,

- Reliability is a valid concern, and the sure way for reliability is redundancy. Never rely on single element for a functionality. For example, relying only on smart phone to unlock your car. What if there's network outage? PhonePe team learnt it the hard way, thanks to Yes Bank. Same thing applies to vehicles too, even the purely mechanical ones. What if you loose your key?

- You cannot push unknown sources data as system update. It requires certain certificates to be validated, and will have listed source to be fetched from. (I'm not saying cars can't be hacked, just that you can't push virus as an update).

- Data breach is an issue for all companies, car manufacturers should invest in better networking and firewalls. Should be very easy considering they connect to very specific, verified sources.

- You are already being tracked by your phones. Current tech can distinguish whether you are traveling in vehicles or walking. Sometimes, even the type of vehicles you are traveling in (bike/car/bus).

- We already have lots of tech in current gen cars. The aim of adding new technologies is not to remove fun quotient, but to improve the usability for general public. A car can be both easy AND fun to drive.

I'm swimming against the tide probably, but most of new technologies you are seeing in new cars are here to stay, because they do have their own use cases.

[Mudhalaipatti]

This is inevitable. Riding horses required some skill. Then came the motor car, which one may argue, requires a little less skill. And then semi autonomous cars and finally fully autonomous cars. It's essentially taking the skill out of the human.

Take the example of cooking. In the fast food joints of the western world, it's hardly a skill to cook a meal. I see this skill loss in almost all walks of life.

Ofcourse there will be hiccups, mistakes, fatalities in this process. But then that's how everything evolves.

Ultimately when the machine matches or surpasses a human mind/skil, the real fight for survival will start. I don't think I will be alive to see that happening and so for the time being I'm just going to enjoy my grill with a beer.

[kadanaJ]

Background: I am a tech enthusiast. I do believe we should limit tech in cars in certain ways.

I'm a big fan of unobtrusive, life-saving tech that enhances the driving experience. Things such as traction control, ESP, ADAS, are all great.

What I'm against is every user-facing feature being shoved into one central touchscreen. Especially AC controls.

Huge fan of the traditional double-din HU system (still followed by Maruti). Something goes wrong with my screen. No issue. At most I've lost music, but the rest of my car works fine.

Big advantage compared to someone who's AC controls are operated through the screen. If that screen goes kaput, the owner has to fix it immediately or live without AC (not possible). The manufacturer can charge whatever outrageous amount they want, as they know the customer has no other alternatives. You can't just put a Pioneer head unit in place of that screen.

[mihir_m13]

I am not fond of too much electronics - too many sensors also mean - too many things that can go bad.

Am always scared of Push button start with Smart Keys. What if the key battery goes dead. Or what if the main batter goes weak - how do i crank longer - i don't know really and its a bit scary.

Couldn't they have given an option of Key Start - Just in case... How difficult was that?

One more thing with the XUV 300 with the smart key - you can't lock the door without the key on you. Now thats really going backwards.

Then we have the Tyre pressure monitoring system (I like it infact). Some cars have indicators for the coolant level and the wiper fluid tank level. One of these could stop working one day and you wouldn't even know. Can we rely on them. Its far easier to just open the bonet and check a few things once in a while. Thats how i like it - old fashioned that I am.

Then there's automatic headlamps and wipers. What is something goes wrong with the sensor - how will it affect the manual controls - I like to assume that the designers would have taken that into consideration and provided the necessary isolation with everything automatic.

The way the car chips are programmed - these manufacturers could have easily provided some customization.

Ex: XUV 300 - The doors unlock automatically once the engine stops. That is really undesirable. Its my car - let me decide when i want to unlock it. They could have easily provided an option in their software to disable this feature.

They also lock automatically when you hit 20 kmph - which again i like.

[RachhaMan10]

Few were pointing out earlier:

1. Manual AC controls for AC
2. Auto unlock once engine is switched off
3. Unlock via app etc

All of the above are not technology; they are gimmicky features adopted to attract naive customers.

It doesn't make any sense to completely shun away technology but instead it has to be adopted in a sensible manner with a bit of governance.

In few years we will have autonomous self driving cars, we cant say I am not sitting on that one. It is as stupid as saying I am not flying on an Jetliner.

Imagine a future where all the cars are autonomous and connected to each other which can avoid accidents in 99.99% of the time. we cant reach that if we dont embrace technology.

[Kosfactor]

Considering plenty of people with no interest to drive a car as well have to drive for various reasons, it is prudent to have as many things automated on a vehicle including ADAS, wipers, headlights , gear shifts etc.

Me personally would like to have a stereo, my vehicle does not have one. Other than that 3 pedals, a stick and a steering wheel are in the right place for me to enjoy the drive.

[iamahunter]

There are many "auto" things in the current gen cars. For eg - Auto headlight, auto wipers, auto dimming rvms, auto ac, auto lock/unlock, auto park, auto gears, auto drive, etc..

As far as we can have a manual override over these things, I believe its totally fine.

One technology I would love to bring back is, Physical buttons along the Touch screen technology. I am not just able to come to terms with having only the touch screen, they are so so difficult to use while driving.