I was car shopping this weekend and was blown away by the tech features that are available in even moderately priced cars. Adaptive cruise with lane assist, blind spot monitoring, backup cameras, navigation and even reverse automatic breaking. Even base models had quiet smooth rides.
When I bought my last new car 10 years ago, this was only the stuff of luxury brands. So that got me to thinking, what luxury commodities will become affordable in the next 10 years?
Potentially, nothing. There has been a concerning trend with some car manufacturers. The first buyer of the car buys optional extras, and then when the vehicle is resold those features are disabled again.
Other companies are introducing subscriptions for certain services. The car has the features built in from the start, but you have to pay/sign up for a subscription to unlock them.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62142208
It would be a shame if someone unlocked them without the manufacturer’s approval.
Likely it’ll happen. But it would also probably void warranties and such
Used cars rarely have warranties anyways, so there’s no reason not to root the car.
I wish buyers wouldn’t accept such things.