Are Cars Just Smartphones on Wheels? The Driving Soul Debate
www.carsandhorsepower.com
Cars are evolving into “smartphones on wheels” with apps, updates, and subscriptions. But are we sacrificing the soul of driving for digital convenience?

For over a century, the automobile has represented freedom, power, and the thrill of mechanical mastery. The connection between driver, machine, and road defined what it meant to own and love a car. But in today’s digital era, a different trend is unfolding. Cars are no longer just machines designed to take us from point A to point B. Increasingly, they resemble something else entirely: smartphones on wheels.

  • shirro@aussie.zoneEnglish
    7·
    6 hours ago

    Software enables new revenue streams. Manufacturers can lock out features and force people to pay subscriptions. The industry wants to normalize that so they get bigger margins and a source of revenue that extends long after the initial sale. Motor vehicle as a service.

    I like controls that don’t distract from driving. Computers without any internet connection aren’t a problem. I don’t mind all the buttons and switches being connected to a micro-controller. It saves a lot of wiring and complexity. While I don’t like screens I can see how they are useful for some people. Ideally you can use a vehicle offline and with the screens off.

    • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      You can turn a lot of this stuff off. Still. Most of the driver assistant stuff is optional still.

      In another few years? Probably not. They will probably change insurance policies to hold you liable if you drive without it.