Carmakers spending billions on technology drivers don't want or use

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

On the surface no, tech won't make cars less safe to drive. However, the carmakers are catering to the lowest common denominator...

Car makers are trying to sell car and make a profit. If making a car safer with aids sells more units then they will do it (also something like ABS is now a requirement by law in Oz). They don't care who buys it they just want to move units....and the cheaper the car the more they need to move.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by deluxe_

Too many dinosaurs who just aren't switched on with technology.

yea thats it. Its the car buyers fault they don't use a lot of this useless crap the manufacturers put in their cars.

The manufactures could never have miss red the market

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

yea thats it. Its the car buyers fault they don't use a lot of this useless crap the manufacturers put in their cars.

The manufactures could never have miss red the market

I think the general consensus here is that one person's useless crap is what another may consider useful.

Some think fuel injection is useless, some think ABS is, there are even others who think the electric start is pointless when the crank handle did the job just fine.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

yea thats it. Its the car buyers fault they don't use a lot of this useless crap the manufacturers put in their cars.

The manufactures could never have miss red the market

Its funny how people on here have been banging on that the Falcon didn't have the tech like a Chrysler has and that you could buy a base model small car with tons of tech (which is BS).

[Itsme]

I think the topic "technology drivers don't want or use" is very misleading, people do want the technology, one of the many reasons why our local car manufacturing industry has died here, the competition from overseas jumped them by producing cars with Tech packs for a good price, this is fact as I know many people who shunned local cars for this very reason.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by deluxe_

Too many dinosaurs who just aren't switched on with technology.

I'm 22, technology has reached the point where truely useful things have been invented and improved to a point where such items like cruise control, brakes, ABS are fantastic. But. Because we live in a consumerist society, manufacturers need to come up with new crap to lure people into buying their crap. Especially if it's specialised crap and you need to take it back to the dealer to get it fixed which everybody knows will cost a fortune! One example. My Subaru Outback versus 2015 outback. Windscreen for my car $280 odd. Windscreen for new outback, $2200 because of the eyesight crap that it comes with and the meticulous fitting otherwise it will wreak havoc on the car by auto braking at random and such things.

These days we still see cars from the 80's tonking about. 20-30 year old cars. In 20-30 years time from now, any new car built now is not going to be getting around purely because of the amount of electrics that will go wrong.

[Trek]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The tech that the car makers are spending billions developing is by and large completely irrelevant to those of us born before 1985. However, they realise that their biggest customer base is Gen Y and still growing. They see it as an investment, we see it as a waste or resources.

'88 born here, however fully agree with the rest of your sentiments mate! Guess I'm an anomaly though!

Hell, I grew up mostly in XB Falcons, which other kids in the schoolyard didn't understand my passion for

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

I'm 22, technology has reached the point where truely useful things have been invented and improved to a point where such items like cruise control, brakes, ABS are fantastic. But. Because we live in a consumerist society, manufacturers need to come up with new crap to lure people into buying their crap. Especially if it's specialised crap and you need to take it back to the dealer to get it fixed which everybody knows will cost a fortune! One example. My Subaru Outback versus 2015 outback. Windscreen for my car $280 odd. Windscreen for new outback, $2200 because of the eyesight crap that it comes with and the meticulous fitting otherwise it will wreak havoc on the car by auto braking at random and such things.

These days we still see cars from the 80's tonking about. 20-30 year old cars. In 20-30 years time from now, any new car built now is not going to be getting around purely because of the amount of electrics that will go wrong.

Some new technology can be costly when first introduced but usually drops considerably when mass produced, this has been proven beyond doubt.

[tapeworm]

and the Police when trying to justify their revenue stream are quick to take credit when there are less deaths on the road. It's more likely ultra safe cars, not them

[damo76]

Originally Posted by deluxe_

I shake my head in laughter when I see some people dismiss the very necessities of modern car essentials such as reverse sensors and cameras as irrelevant.

Need to keep up with the times..

Well i think if you need all this technology such as reverse sensors and parking assist crap, you shouldn't be driving anyway.

A lot of the fancy stuff in the focus i don't use and don't care about, either does the misses.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by trublu

Some new technology can be costly when first introduced but usually drops considerably when mass produced, this has been proven beyond doubt.

Open source/public domain technology (think PC's, LED lighting, stuff that is commodity level now) will drop in price with growing economies of scale.

However, propietary technology (such as the electronic systems in cars and a lot of enterprise level hardware) bucks this trend for multiple reasons. The most obvious one is the sheer level of IP (intellectual property) locked up in such gear. The amount of legal crap associated with such IP is mind boggling. Lawyers are expensive critters (and like cockroaches, will survive a nuclear explosion) and as such, the buck keeps getting passed down the line. As such, the aftermarket is increasingly unable to produce non-OEM equivalents.

The second reason is such tech is almost exclusively single use in a single application. To use my Eurotrash box as an example, almost none of the ECU's carry over to the other BMW product of its vintage. Their only common feature is the core programming.

As a follow on, the third reason is that even if such technology was multi platorm use designed, the manufacturer almost always has a monopoly on supply and can (and they do) charge whatever they want. Again to use my car as the example, the Bluetooth ECU is $1100 ex-GST (trade price) from an Australian dealer. If bought overseas, the price is about $650. The cost to BMW from Siemens is $48.

[bazza91]

I pretty much consider anything implemented after 2005 pointless. There are exceptions but for the most part its just useless wasted money.
Im all for anything safety related such as airbags and ABS but reversing cameras and sensors are just ****. To those who said "ask anybody whose child has been run over in a driveway what they think" No. If you think that its safe to have kids loose and running around near moving automobiles you are an idiot. Teach your damn kids to stay out of the path of a moving object.
If you need reverse sensors and cameras to park your car, you shouldnt be bloody driving. Lane departure warning and blind spot indicators are ridiculous as well, if your drifting out of your lane you shouldnt be driving, fatigue is a killer. If you have blindspots your mirrors are not adjusted properly and you should ALWAYS do a headcheck prior to moving into another lane.
Touch screens and dvd units etc are all just more distractions for a driver whose main focus should be the road. (dvd screens in the backseat for the kids are an exception to that)
Warning lights for not having a seatbelt on are pointless. Thats the first thing you do when you get in the damn car.
New technology like upgraded braking systems and traction control power steering airbags crumple zones etc are all valid and well spent money. But gimmicky **** like voice control is just bull****.
Anyway thats my rant over. for now hahah

[2011G6E]

Hmm...where to start...

Originally Posted by bazza91

Im all for anything safety related such as airbags and ABS but reversing cameras and sensors are just ****. To those who said "ask anybody whose child has been run over in a driveway what they think" No. If you think that its safe to have kids loose and running around near moving automobiles you are an idiot. Teach your damn kids to stay out of the path of a moving object.

Great!! Now if only we could stop every unpredictable kid in the world besides our own to do the same...or are they part of Darwinism and deserve what they get when you reverse out of a car park or driveway?

If you need reverse sensors and cameras to park your car, you shouldnt be bloody driving. Lane departure warning and blind spot indicators are ridiculous as well, if your drifting out of your lane you shouldnt be driving, fatigue is a killer. If you have blindspots your mirrors are not adjusted properly and you should ALWAYS do a headcheck prior to moving into another lane.

I's agree with the lane departure thing, however not everyone on the road IS fully awake and aware at all times. It not only protects them but it protects YOU as you're coming the other way.
As for parking...You...have sat in a lot of modern cars, or especially am SUV or twin cab ute which are becoming very popular as family cars, haven't you?. You simply [i]cannot[/] see behind you no matter how much you "adjust your mirrors" or "perform head checks". Not to mention being unable to see the corners of most larger modern cars at all.

gimmicky **** like voice control is just bull****.

Anything that keeps your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road...

[Jastel]

I like all of it (once I have learnt to use it and what it does)...and while it stays working....

I do get sick of having to explain to drivers that the car is smarter than they are.

[aussie muscle]

hmm, my falcon has speed alert beeper that i never use. I upgraded the center console to get the colour screen, but lost the six stacker cd (but i rarely use the cd player - use my ipod instead).

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The tech that the car makers are spending billions developing is by and large completely irrelevant to those of us born before 1985. However, they realise that their biggest customer base is Gen Y and still growing. They see it as an investment, we see it as a waste or resources.

from the linked article: "The report showed Gen Y drivers were even less convinced,"

[MITCHAY]

Not so long ago I would have said a lot of the stuff we have now is useless but it is better to have and not use than to want and not have.

I think that reverse cameras especially and to a lesser degree parking sensors are very useful. They are meant to be aids not a replacement for basic skill.

It's like the idiots who think computers should do all the work for them. No they are designed to help make it easier to do your job.

[deluxe_]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

I'm 22, technology has reached the point where truely useful things have been invented and improved to a point where such items like cruise control, brakes, ABS are fantastic. But. Because we live in a consumerist society, manufacturers need to come up with new crap to lure people into buying their crap. Especially if it's specialised crap and you need to take it back to the dealer to get it fixed which everybody knows will cost a fortune! One example. My Subaru Outback versus 2015 outback. Windscreen for my car $280 odd. Windscreen for new outback, $2200 because of the eyesight crap that it comes with and the meticulous fitting otherwise it will wreak havoc on the car by auto braking at random and such things.

These days we still see cars from the 80's tonking about. 20-30 year old cars. In 20-30 years time from now, any new car built now is not going to be getting around purely because of the amount of electrics that will go wrong.

That's fine because once a car hits its 10-15 year age, it becomes quite useless. The lesser the old cars roaming our streets the better for for us drivers, less eye sore going around.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

from the linked article: "The report showed Gen Y drivers were even less convinced,"

They probably asked a bunch of hipsters.

Reverse sensors and cameras are nice and handy things to have. Makes parking in car parks with a 5.4m ute easier. Car spaces can range anywhere from around 5m to 5.6m long. Most of the time I will have my towball on the line and have the front sticking out the front of the space a few centimeters. These devices on tiny hatchbacks are not needed, but still nice to have.

Work Prados have cameras and I hardly ever use them, but when I do use them I'm glad it has them. Nice for looking how close you are to little poles and other small things that are hidden below the window level. Especially good at night time when someone else parked the car in an unusual location.

Only time I have used voice control was when someone smashed the touchscreen so the voice control was the only way to change the radio station. Other than that I can't see the point in voice control really.

Bluetooth is fantastic. What better way to listen to your music than wirelessly. Beats having a cable connecting your electronic device. Also changing songs with the steering wheel is easier and safer than pressing fast forward on the tape player.

I did like having tyre pressure monitoring in the Chrysler. Check it every now and then and I would see it very slowly dropping over the space of a few months. Top up the air when it starts to get low and then watch the cycle start again. Beats checking manually especially if you don't need any air.
Plus I would love to see how many people regularly check their tyre pressure. Not many I would say.

Auto wipers are great. I would hate those days where you seam to be adjusting your wipers constantly because one second you can't see through the water and the next the wipers are squealing on a dry windscreen. Although they are not perfect, I still think they are great and seam to work properly 95% of the time.

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

Let's use this equation.

Increase in technology in cars = increase in accidents due to inattention and inexperience

So, correlation must equal causation?

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Its funny how people on here have been banging on that the Falcon didn't have the tech like a Chrysler has and that you could buy a base model small car with tons of tech (which is BS).

It's not funny at all. Some people want tech in their cars and some do not. It would only be the ones who have been calling others "dinosaurs" that have advocated the "more tech in Falcons" mantra.

[castellan]

Now I want a gismo that hits the brakes when the cops put a radar up anywhere so I don't get stung.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by castellan

Now I want a gismo that hits the brakes when the cops put a radar up anywhere so I don't get stung.

One of my pet hates is people who hit the brakes when approaching a radar, even if they aren't speeding. People like that are part of the problem not the solution!

[LoudPipes]

Originally Posted by Cobra

Some people want tech in their cars and some do not.

It would only be the ones who have been calling others "dinosaurs" that have advocated the "more tech in Falcons" mantra.

And the multitudes of car buyers who are not members of this forum who are attracted to more tech and therefore purchase vehicles other than Falcon.

[fps_grandma]

Mantra:

Technology is supposed to serve you, not enslave you.

In the field of telecommunications, an example of technological progress serving you is text messaging which is a far cry to writing letters in the 1800s (Just don't do either while driving).
An example of technology enslaving you is when you're literally on Facebook for hours on end.

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

Studies have found that younger people (Gen Y and Z) are increasingly disinterested in cars. They don't play a very big role in the inner city, professional urban (yuppie) tribe anymore. It's really suprising how many of my friends and colleagues don't own a car even though they well and truly could afford to! Rather than a car as a status symbol they prefer to spend their money on travelling etc. They just don't see the need for one. By incorporating technology into vehicles it is a way of appealing to that younger demographic as someone mentioned earlier.

The Toyota 86 is an interesting case study as it was a response to young people not into cars.
It also doesn't help that cars are very expensive to own when many are working in retail they may not be able to afford to buy a new car.
The dining and travelling culture generally provide better value for money.

If I want to buy just one new car I want to make sure it's very practical, powerful and reasonably priced.
I went and bought an XR6T.

A lot of people use their car on public roads to go to the shops whether it's a Toyota Kluger or a Nissan GT-R.

Originally Posted by deluxe_

I shake my head in laughter when I see some people dismiss the very necessities of modern car essentials such as reverse sensors and cameras as irrelevant.

Need to keep up with the times..

Reverse sensors go insane when backing down a hill because the bottom of the inline falsely triggers the ultrasonic sensors.

Reverse cameras are actually not bad because you cannot physically see what is directly behind you.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I love the new technology that came with my car.

Yeah, reverse sensors are great, camera is the BOMB! I can now reverse right up to a fully loaded trailer and put the ball right below the hitch... I used to hate trying to do it alone, and when people ever tried to guide me they always got their left and rights mixed up.

I love my adaptive cruise control, use it each time I'm on the freeway.

The frontal collision warning thing has come on a few times now but you really need to push the boundaries - unless you are actually about to rear end someone.

Auto headlights and wipers - yep love em.

The ONLY thing I detest is bloody climate control! I hate it! I prefer to just have simple sliders / dials and no automatic intervention.

I love freezing cold air coming through my vents - it could be 5 degrees outside yet I can't go below 18 degrees... and then if I try to, the air con turns on!

I hate the fact that my wife can't use certain navigation / phone controls when I'm driving and she is in the passenger seat.. you would think that the technology that senses a bum in the seat for the belt chime could also bypass that feature.

[castellan]

Originally Posted by prydey

One of my pet hates is people who hit the brakes when approaching a radar, even if they aren't speeding. People like that are part of the problem not the solution!

But but but the gismo detects and makes sure you are not caught and that not only saves money but your licence as well, now that has to be a good feature, I would think.
Here hang about I could make a fortune with such a thing, the Castellan road salvation gismo it saves you money and your licence.

Yes I do slow down when I see a radar as well, just to be on the safe side as I don't trust them things at all, or the people who man such a thing as one would have to be a total rat bag to bust people who just exceed the limit by a few km/h like the government push, fair enough if it was in a truly danger spot, but they are not.
And another thing is that a lot of drivers seam nowadays to sit 5 to 10 km/h under the limit on the highway and that gets on my goat especially how many morons sit plodding along in the 3rd lane they some how have learnt to keep out of the far right lane = 4th but they just sit their oblivious to everything.

I think cruse control is magic, but how many people do you see using it even in the most modern cars, I don't think they know how to uses it. my wife will not use cruse control and complains if I put it on, I use it so I don't have to constantly live in fear looking at the bloody speedo due to some revenue dip stick hiding busting most people for nothing but a new age Nazi type of great load of total Political Correct madness.

If you only do around only 20,000 km a year or drive the same route most of the time, I know it's no big problem at all, because you are living in a dream world.

[Sprintey]

There seem to be some who love the tech and others who like the safety but are mostly unconcerned with the other bits.

The market in Europe has catered for this with the Dacia Logan (by Renault), a very cheap, rugged and simple design. I think they designed it for export markets, then were surprised when European customers made it a hit. Some people appreciate the basics and there was a product for them? I know my parents here in Oz were thrilled with their new cars in 2000, 2003 and now 2015 which featured wind-up windows!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia_Logan

[Maka]

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business...spresso-maker/

Fiat was onto it years ago, shame they didn't include a toaster & some vegemite!

cheer's, Maka

[superyob]

The day I want my drive to be the best laptop or facespace experience I have ever had is the day I give up driving. The only tech I need is 8 cylinders driving the rear wheels in a 50s, 60s, 70s body with chrome bumpers...

[superyob]

Originally Posted by deluxe_

I shake my head in laughter when I see some people dismiss the very necessities of modern car essentials such as reverse sensors and cameras as irrelevant.

Need to keep up with the times..

Keeping up with the times for its own sake is an empty pursuit. I need to have a good reason to update and the two examples mentioned are totally irrelevant to me as there is no good reason to fit them to my car. As is most of the other crap in modern cars that belongs on your googlemaphone, not your drive...