Car Development is Going the Wrong Direction

[MysticDevice]

This is an odd time for the automotive world. We're finally getting some decent looking cars again but somewhere along the path it seems like automakers have forgotten what it is they're actually making. They're supposed to be making cars. But what we're getting is kitchen appliances.

Cars are supposed to be vehicles of excitement and adventure.

Cars are supposed to be animals with their own attitudes.

What we're getting now may look pretty decent on the outside but inside the Car Makers have all hopped on the tech bandwagon.

What in the name of all that is holy is this nonsense...

It's illegal to use your phone while driving or to drive distracted and the companies thought what? "Hey, lets put TVs in the cars instead of real dashboards.

I've actually found the reason why they're putting TVs in cars instead of real dashboards. It's got nothing to do with consumer desires or convenience (for us). It is because it's actually cheaper and easier for them to build. Does that make the car cheaper for us then? HA!

They cram these things with all this stupid tech and say buzzwords like "it's the future" and "connectivity and convenience". It's none of those things. And no, it isn't cheaper for us. These "smart devices", I'm not calling them cars, are astronomically priced.

I bought a Chevy Impala in 2015 for $16,000. A 2020 Impala was almost $45,000 in 2021.

The cheapest 2025 model is a Nissan Versa at an MSRP of 21,000usd.

The most expensive non-luxury non-performance family vehicle I could find in my 5 minutes of research is a Chevy Suburban for 94,000usd. Why. Why is this...

What we don't have anymore are base models. A cheap and reliable beater to thrash around. And they need to bring back classic dashboard setups with buttons, knobs, and real shifters. Not button shifters or the funny little dial. A shifter where you have to pull a lever.

Believe it or not, that Buick Century is one of the most rugged and durable cars I've ever experienced in my life. The amount of punishment it took and how little it cared what you did to it as long as you changed the oil was insane.

Now we have this techno-hellscape of gimmicky, flashy, cybertrash with "Self driving".

Ok, you want to put an 8000 pound steel projectile in the hands of lights and clockwork with no concept of morality or humanity and let it lose on the street?

IYKYK

To be fair Humans are pretty bad at driving as well but adding electric nannies and driver aids are just making drivers dumber because now they don't have to concentrate as much on the 8,000 pound steel projectile the DMV said they can drive when they can't.

Ah, see, now this leads me into a whole other side tangent about bad drivers, car haters, public transit, separating car and pedestrian areas, urban planning. Next Hot Take. For now, rant over.

[Lliam]

I couldn't agree more. I HATE all that computerized shit. It's not only distracting and unnecessary, it's unreliable. There are just more things to malfunction. Repair costs are insane.
Modern cars are SMART (self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology) devices. They are connected to the internet or other networks, can process data, and often utilize AI or machine learning to perform tasks or interact with users in a more intelligent way. You are monitored and tracked. They can even be taken over remotely.

And, as you pointed out, the cost of buying a car these days is insane!

I think there is a motive to limit the number of people who can own cars, to limit their ability to travel, and to monitor them 24/7. Think of the plan for SMART cities.
Can you be listened to and watched while in your car?

The best car I ever had was a '63 Buick LeSabre 2 dr hard top with a 401 cu in engine and automatic trans. It was roomy and super comfy, as sturdy as a battleship, and was easy to work on and maintain. No computers. I never had a car that was more reliable.

The only drawback to those old cars was the lack of safety features like shoulder harnesses and air bags.

Right now, I have a 2007 Rav4 Limited 6 cyl 4WD with power everything. It has 118,000 miles. It's loaded with computers, but not as SMART as newer cars.
I plan to keep it forever.

[MysticDevice]

I'll keep my old rust buckets running before I ever buy a new car at their prices

[Lliam]

Somebody needs to bring back the equivalent of the Model A that was efficient, reliable, and affordable.

[genericname85]

Fact is: Ai drives better than humans ever will. maybe Ai isn't quite at it's full potential yet but it will soon be. The only reason you're arguing for "traditional" cars is cause you're grown accustomed to it and have a personal preference for them. there's no rational argument there. just subjective feelings which are of course valid but I don't know if they should matter.

and the thing is: there's no rational argument for a human driver. the only moral question is: who's at fault when the AI system makes a mistake? it's gonna happen. far less likely than humans making mistakes but with humans you can just blame them and hold them accopuntable financially and otherwise. who do you blame when ai makes mistakes?

[FreyaRed]

We need decent cars without unnecessary stuff like assisting AI, cooled and air blasted seats, heated steering wheel... etc. Cars which are affordable by people who don't earn 5 times the average wage.
However premium car costs in production not significantly more than cheap ones but generate much more profit if they can be sold, that's why cars grow in size and get with every new model more and more expensive. It's greed and arrogance that let car companies design cars which don't fit needs of their targeted customer group.

When you're poor you have to ride after leasing 200k km rust bucket because humiliation of the poor is what matters not development, well-being and prosperity of a society

[MysticDevice]

Then it's time to shame the rich by refusing to buy their over priced techno crap and prefer "outdated" poormobiles.

[douride2]

My thoughts exactly. I tried to buy a plain 4x4 truck. They start at $50000 to $55000. I asked can I order one since they don. t have any. They told me yes but the chances of getting it was slim & none. Just so you know I'm in Canada & those figures are in Canadian dollars.

[MisterWack]

Cars are designed to be safe & efficient for consumers, tech savvy for investors, and BIG SUVs for exemption from fuel economy (Obama Administration caused that, big trucks & big SUVs are more prominent thanks to that)

That is why it looks & feels ‘soulless’, ‘less adventurous’, and ‘lacking personality’.

I personally love the old GM cars, looking at the modern day makes me long for the olden days…. Not just GM with the ugly Cybertrucks too. Hummer EV actually looks badass ngl. Though the cars you showcased in your screenshots were nice and 100x more appealing than today.

What else can I say? Missing CD Players, missing AUX, and missing USB so everything has to be bluetooth or radio that’s it… Remember CD & AUX, yeah forget that! The cars have more bells and whistles like back up cameras to avoid human caused crashes / near misses also automatic brakes and better airbag technology though missing the enjoyment of the ride altogether because GM & others don’t want to spend more money, they want to make greater margins not close the gaps which leaves us the consumer very disappointed.

[MisterWack]

I’m a Capitalist and I understand the company drive, though I’m also pro consumer which seeing these cold calculated business decisions leaves me longing for the olden days. This is how things work out, at least here in America, you can find this in the music industry to the healthcare system to more and it sucks. Corporations have their own “politics” in a way, it is just how they do business. Sucks.

[OneViewpoint]

LOL, you're just now figuring out that touch screens integrating all the controls in a car are motivated by a desire to bring down costs? Yes, that the reason. No more separate physical switches and wires running to a car's CANBUS network with individual connectors. One connection to the CANBUS network and the computers can talk to all the various systems in the vehicle. Cheaper, more reliable, easier to assemble, easily updated with a software/ firmware upload, simplified supply chain, shorter development time, etc.

On the flip side, you are correct. Touch screens are accidents waiting to happen. Zero tactile feel. You need to take your eyes off the road to use the controls. I hate them! And touch screens are generally impossible to repair. They have to be replaced as a modular assembly. So instead of fixing a $50 fan switch, you're replacing a $3,000 computer with a 13" screen. So cheaper for manufacturers, yes. But infinitely more expensive for buyers to have repaired.

I bought 2 new cars last year specifically because I could still get my hands on a few cars where discrete controls are still being used for all the basic functions like HVAC, seat heaters, steering wheel heater, garage door opener, interior lighting. The only things the touch screen is used for is the audio system, navigation system, and wifi / cellular integration with phones. Nothing that involves actually driving the car. And the audio controls are duplicated on the steering wheel. I love the division of controls and the easy to use interface. I'm holding onto these cars until they disintegrate, LOL.

[TheSpaceGnome]

"more reliable"

That part is wrong.

[OneViewpoint]

@TheSpaceGnome ,

My iPhone 11 Pro is almost 6 years old, my iPad Air is going on 12 years old. Both capacitive touch screens are still working fine. Small capacitive touch screens have been around for 2 decades. They are very reliable. Auto makers wouldn't switch to them if they generated a flood of warranty claims. Software switches running on silicon based transistors don't generally wear out very quickly. My 2 gripes with touch screens in a car are the safety issues and the replacement cost if they do get damaged or fail.

Also, I would expect insurance companies to take that huge repair cost into account when calculating policy premiums.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Computer chipsets in general are less reliable than entirely analog vehicles (as well as many other analog devices) when it comes to points of failure and quality.

[Dargil]

If you take a look at the motorcycle industry armor The Japanese manufacturers Have gone back to a building retro replica motorcycles. Kawasaki builds a motorcycle very similar to a 1978 KZ750 twin cylinder. and they are selling well. in the same way GM, Ford Chrysler and Stellantis Or whoever buys Chrysler, Should look back at the cars that sold hundreds of thousands a month and not a handful of cars that break down in 50,000 miles.

Take a look at a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. And even earlier versions can still be found on the road. why is that? Because they were as reliable as a hammer. Take a look at a Jeep Cherokee powered by the 4 liter In line six cylinder. they seemed to have an almost unlimited lifespan.

The average American buyer does not need a 4000 pound sedan with 550 horsepower. that Cutlass Ciera had a 130 horsepower overhead valve V 6 engine. It did exactly what the owners wanted it to do. Now, if you need to have your water pump replaced on many V6 Ford products, you would have to mortgage one of your children.

We need to go back to building modern replicas of traditional automobiles taking advantage of technology that does not cost a fortune or take a fortune to keep up. Especially now that Donald Trump is president, and a lot of deregulation is going on, look at least to Ford and GM to experiment with building retro automobiles.

[Dargil]

In my view, the last vehicles which were as reliable as a hammer were the Buick sedans powered by the 3.8 liter V6. They just won't die.

[Douglas1180]

Sorry to break it to you, genius, but the 1999 Buick Century has power windows, power seat, child locks, electronic braking system, tire monitor, and electronic climate control. All your idiot self does is press the gas pedal, which activates electronically controlled fuel injectors.

[Nik1hil]

Cars are being Converted into Tools of slavery. They used to be tools of freedom. Not anymore..

Governments aren't happy with Fast Cars that cannot be tracked because of criminals.

Governments prefer a Car that's basically a computer, which can be tracked , hacked, Taxed etc. And turns car owner into a Slave..

[Lliam]

Nailed it.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I've been thinking we need an upgrade because everything is getting boring. How about this?

Like whoooosh! You know. Apparently these things aren't practical at evading radar and other forms of detection these days. But they might just be the next type of beast we men should have instead of these mobile kitchen appliances.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

My wish for car development is going in a direction that would turn cars into innocuous objects, they can be wild animals if you wish, just remove their claws and teeth.

Because I would appreciate walking in a world that doesn't feel like a fucking racing circuit. Thank you in advance

[Likestorizz]

I think so plus everything on the cars is being made less reliable at this point I wouldn't buy a 2015 and up and defenetly not a tesla or other eletric car

[lightbulb27]

Nothing better than a 90s celica. Amen to your post. 🙏 thats why i have old cars and keep as long as i able.

[wynning]

I agree but I'm not sure if the market does. Marketing has sussed it out and they've decided to go this direction for a reason.

[exitseven]

Too bad you could not special order a Chevy pickup with the slant 6, 3 speed on the column, no air conditioning, no power windows, no navigation system, no air bags and no catalytic converter.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Batmobile style lambo :)

[TheSpaceGnome]

Also fuck self driving AI cyber bullshit

[RingOfFire]

I agree!

Get all those electronics out of the car dashboard, it's too distracting!

Bring back the strippers! 👍

[red324]

They've done that for years. They only have fully loaded vehicles on the lot. That's where they make their money from. I supposed yoy could special order a bare bones model, but I don't think you'll get any better deal.

[DrPepper12]

1987 was the highlight of auto design. Full 🛑.

[Anonymous]

I like the new electric cars

I'm waiting for when I can afford one

[strateguy632]

Good examples!

[noohair]

Chrome and steel. I miss those days...

[Manuelwe]

Yes. We could do things better and cheaper