Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Did you ever stop to notice at what an amazing fast pace we’re switching between smartphones these days? You don’t really need a new one but you want it because it’s faster and better by a small margin. Apparently, it’s the same case with cars these days.
Manufacturers are pushing out more and more new technology on-board of the new models. We’re not necessarily referring to the engines or drivertrain as a whole but rather to the experience you get behind the wheel.
The cabin is beginning to matter more and more to potential customers and the advances in the field are bringing an ever increasing bundle of tech bits to our senses.
Manufacturers these days are offering tech that wasn’t available even as an extra optional let alone a standard feature not longer than 5 years ago. Yes, we’re talking about Bluetooth connectivity, App integration, rearview cameras and even more, basic stuff. Take a look at a 2010 car and one at a 2015 model and you’ll immediately understand what I’m talking about.
These days if you want to send a Tweet from your BMW iDrive screen you can do that and you can also plan your trip inside your living room and send it to your car’s on-board computer easily. That’s something that wasn’t even remotely imagined back in 2010 for example, when a navigation system was usually stuck on the windshield via suction cup.
And that’s where the edge will come from in the future. People want more and more technology at their fingertips and if a manufacturer doesn’t keep up it will be considered a relic in no time. Low-end brands can still survive now without this stuff because of their low price tags but they will have to adapt as well.
According to a recent study from Edmunds, the average lease plan extends to 36 months at most these days, meaning that people are changing their cars even more often than that. On average, a smartphone gets replaced every 24 months so the difference is getting smaller.
The question is: is this for the greater good? The points are debatable. While some would say that such a behavior will help reduce the number of old, polluting cars on the road, one must also bear in mind that the new products are wasting resources and might not be necessarily less polluting.
Even so, it does say a lot about us as a species and as shoppers. People want all the newest technology. Offer it to them and you might have a successful business model.
The cabin is beginning to matter more and more to potential customers and the advances in the field are bringing an ever increasing bundle of tech bits to our senses.
Manufacturers these days are offering tech that wasn’t available even as an extra optional let alone a standard feature not longer than 5 years ago. Yes, we’re talking about Bluetooth connectivity, App integration, rearview cameras and even more, basic stuff. Take a look at a 2010 car and one at a 2015 model and you’ll immediately understand what I’m talking about.
These days if you want to send a Tweet from your BMW iDrive screen you can do that and you can also plan your trip inside your living room and send it to your car’s on-board computer easily. That’s something that wasn’t even remotely imagined back in 2010 for example, when a navigation system was usually stuck on the windshield via suction cup.
And that’s where the edge will come from in the future. People want more and more technology at their fingertips and if a manufacturer doesn’t keep up it will be considered a relic in no time. Low-end brands can still survive now without this stuff because of their low price tags but they will have to adapt as well.
According to a recent study from Edmunds, the average lease plan extends to 36 months at most these days, meaning that people are changing their cars even more often than that. On average, a smartphone gets replaced every 24 months so the difference is getting smaller.
The question is: is this for the greater good? The points are debatable. While some would say that such a behavior will help reduce the number of old, polluting cars on the road, one must also bear in mind that the new products are wasting resources and might not be necessarily less polluting.
Even so, it does say a lot about us as a species and as shoppers. People want all the newest technology. Offer it to them and you might have a successful business model.
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