Ford product chief looking to turn car sensors into features customers will buy

Meanwhile old fuds like me deliberately passed up buying a new Transit Connect in favor of a used one specifically to avoid the automatic braking "feature" (kludge). I don't want a car thinking for me. But brainless "know-it-alls" like this chief technology officer keep larding cars up with crap nobody asked for and then don't even offer the option to delete this crap from their car.

Software Defined Vehicles will be the single greatest leap of mankind. It's not going to be whatever marketing wants, but it will fulfill the promise of a better, less polluted, safer future. Can't wait to see everyone there...

I have driven a car with a broken sensor in the catalytic converter which meant that the environment warning light was always on. The only way to replace the $1 sensor was to replace the catalytic converter and nobody would do that. I have also driven a pick up with automatic braking that had to be disabled because the truck thought that a little bit of snow or grass was an object.

I am smart enough, like 99% of people to know when a wiper blade needs to be replaced without having more sensors in a vehicle and although I grew up in Canada and have done a heck of a lot of camping there, cannot think of a single time when I wanted a vehicle to honk at bears in the middle of the night.

I'm with everyone here. All of these "useful options" that you cannot opt out of which jacks up the price of the new car, and also creates an astronomical bill when it breaks/needs to be reset.

then don't even offer the option to delete this crap from their car.

eh?

Field, who was hired away from running Apple's secret auto project two years ago, and before that served as Tesla head of engineering, explained at an investor event that the automaker is moving to get rid of the pile,

Ford is adopting Tesla's delete hardware strategy, use software to replicate and define new features. Worked for Tesla. You don't have to use it, just turn it off on the touchscreen.

I'm sure glad I got all the features for free in my Tesla, vs my old BMW where cruise with assist was a $3k option alone, not to mention all the risk of hardware breakdown.

IMHO, all brands will adopt Tesla approach eventually.

BTW, Tesla driver assist has saved me from bingles on countless occasions now, and I didn't even know the feature existed. kids running out, car atomatically brake and even swerve. Cyclist swerving open door, car brake. How Tesla do this with just camera and machine learning is nothing short of genius.

I don't want a car thinking for me.

I feel the same, however, a lot of drivers need a car that does think for them.

And if it saves lives, I'll move with the changes.

I'll take a very cheap basic analog kei van. Thank you.

I don't want a car thinking for me.

A car is going to be a better driver than most of the idiots out there.

Meanwhile old fuds like me deliberately passed up buying a new Transit Connect in favor of a used one specifically to avoid the automatic braking "feature" (kludge). I don't want a car thinking for me. But brainless "know-it-alls" like this chief technology officer keep larding cars up with crap nobody asked for and then don't even offer the option to delete this crap from their car.

Pretty much what they said when cloud music, video on demand, digital cameras or smart phones hit the market. The old style still has a market, but nowhere near as popular as the modern versions. However putting tech in just to increase revenue seems a little dubious and most likely means features/services will have subscriptions that can be switched on and off from central control.

We need an open source car!

Desert TortoiseToday  07:50 am JST

Meanwhile old fuds like me deliberately passed up buying a new Transit Connect in favor of a used one specifically to avoid the automatic braking "feature" (kludge). I don't want a car thinking for me. But brainless "know-it-alls" like this chief technology officer keep larding cars up with crap nobody asked for and then don't even offer the option to delete this crap from their car.

If idiots would stop texting and playing games on their phones while driving auto braking would not be needed.

I'm sure glad I got all the features for free in my Tesla,

You didn't, they were included in the price you paid.

Amazon interface? For most people when their car is home so are they.

I am more or less in favour of features which are classed as "Driver Assist" and do just that, help me out IF necessary and possibly, for example, start to brake IF the radar/electronics can see something before I can. Some things are helpful, typically Subaru's Eyesight system, it doesn't drive the car but assists the driver when necessary. I, for one, am not ready for full automation.

Remember, computers are dumb machines capable of doing clever things whilst computer programmers are clever people capable of doing dumb things; not always a perfect marriage.

Japan isn't a market Ford is interested in. What's the point of this article exactly? The local manufacturers make plenty of rubbish cars.

Software Defined Vehicles will be the single greatest leap of mankind. It's not going to be whatever marketing wants, but it will fulfill the promise of a better, less polluted, safer future. Can't wait to see everyone there...

Yeah, as long as I can delete the stuff I don't want and it's not like some of the crap, I mean bloatwear, Macroshaft loads on your computer that you don't have admin rights to delete.

I'm with everyone here. All of these "useful options" that you cannot opt out of which jacks up the price of the new car, and also creates an astronomical bill when it breaks/needs to be reset.

Having to put your ride on a flatbed to the dealer because the CANBus needs a reboot is about as depressing as the automotive experience gets short of a repo. I guess it could be worse if the car just stops with the doors locked and windows up. Yes that happens. Or stray tron causes the brakes to apply suddenly on a freeway. That happens too.