I am scared of my car retiring. In time, of course, one will have to buy a new car. And that is the moment I am terrified of.
Because, now, buying a car means:
A. No USB port - so the only way to listen to music is through streaming. I don't want to use the internet for something as basic as listening to music in my car. Bring back the cassette tapes please.
B. My data goes to the car manufacturer - THIS is the real reason i dont want to upgrade that car. Once upon a time, you bought a car and paid for it in cash or loan. Today, you buy a car and pay for it in cash AND the leak of your data to their servers for all infinity. Dear Lord, the car, once bought, is my asset. It is not a subscription. It is MINE. And therefore, my location data is mine. I do not want to pay for a car in cash + data ad infinitum.
C. Automatics only - My dad taught me to drive. Listening to a car and changing gears just right is micro moments of connecting with him. I would never drive an automatic. I LOVE the gears. I love the connection that sound of the car gives me with the car. (Yes, I have driven an automatic. Incredibly convenient, thank you). But most new models come with automatic transmission!
D. Proximity Sensors - This is my second biggest issue. Manufacturers are idiot proofing cars. Some of us are not idiots. We like to take responsibility for our cars. We like to know the dimensions of our car and move through traffic or tight spaces accordingly. If you had to innovate, maybe you should have created 90 degree movement axles. The proximity sensors and their beep beep drives me totally up the wall. This is India - 2 inches is "bahut jagah hai". Your proximity sensors are made for god-knows-where and start screaming at 8 inches! They make the driver more nervous than the proximity itself.
E. The SCREENS - The screens scream. I am very sensitive to LED light-based screens and use them sparingly. For 25 years, I have been able to drive perfectly fine without staring into a large screen roughly to the left of where my eyes should be (on the road, straight ahead). I do not want a car with an in built screen. There is a whole youtube channel playing outside my windscreen! The ONLY thing for which i can envisage using a screen is navigation, and for that, a mini screen in front - in the dashboard, should do just fine. The best innovation done was by Honda - they placed the speedometer close to the eye level, so the driver does not have to look away from the road to monitor their speed. Why manufacturers thought a great way to increase road safety is to force the driver to look periodically to the left and down, instead of the road, I have no idea. But i do not agree with the car manufacturers on that one. While driving, i love the road. That's where i want to look.
My son said I should at least take a test drive. I tried. Started by asking - What happens to the data you collect from me? How is it safeguarded? What is my right to delete? As you can guess, the conversation did not go much further. My son shook his head and gave up.
