Here's a list I've compiled of car technologies I completely disagree with:
Start/Stop
Saves gas, reduces pollutants. What's the issue?
LED lights (for anything except brake lights)
Brighter, more efficient, more robust than halogen.
Xenon Lights
Same as LED.
Laser Lights
Same with LED.
Pulse Width Modulated LED lights EVERYWHERE (SERIOUSLY WHO NEEDS TO SAVE 5 WATTS?!)
Doesn't matter if they were PWM or constant current. LED's are better than filament in the automotive application.
massive front bumpers (Beluga Whale) to protect pedestrians
This I agree with. Apparently it's the car's fault for hitting the pedestrian.
cars connected to the internet
This could be a double-edged sword.
google maps in cars
This is fine.
self driving cars
This is also fine. I've come to accept the fact that self-driving cars are ok. They'll prevent your ZHP from getting hit.
“4 cylinder performs like a v8” yeah right
Most of them do for the majority of driving styles.
overcharged microscopic engines (suicide-bomber engines, since you know they're going to explode)
The modded Fiesta STs seem to be doing ok. I'm sure stock ones will last long enough. Majority will not keep a car long enough to care.
"fly-by-wire” (cpu processing) for everything
This is fine.
any perceptible delay between pushing a button —> action
That's unacceptable. Most likely, the program has a built in delay.
triple click blinkers
Good for quick passing maneuvers.
automatic transmissions with > 5 gears
acceleration+gas mileage
plastic chrome
Cheaper and lighter than regular chrome. Too much of it, is what I don't like.
shitty plastic interiors as replacement for leather
Not everyone cares for the cost, look, or feel of leather.
Touch Screens (whoever thought this was a good idea I genuinely believe should be executed)
Off with their head!
stupidly complicated vehicle functions (i.e. HVAC)
That's built into said touchscreen.
massive a-pillars and:
Protection from poor drivers
visibility being replaced by ding dong electronics (The irony here is this is to increase safety. How about avoiding accidents in the first place?)
I wouldn't say visibility is being replaced, just augmented. I would love to have my side mirrors replaced with cameras...
SUVs that don't drive offroad (women to blame for this)
Not touching this one
Electric power steering (start stop crap?)
It has potential...majority of people don't want to "feel" the road.
electric AC
Gas mileage, frees hp.
Artificial engine noise
As an enthusiast, there is no excuse for this.
electronic parking brake (again, an execution is in order)
More console/foot room.
car models not offering manual transmissions (kill)
Manuals don't sell.
speedometers intentionally wrong
Haven't heard of this one.
single points of failure stranding cars (camshaft position sensor)
Broken balljoint.
automatic transmissions “sealed for life” without a dipstick
Most won't keep the car that long.
No engine oil dipsticks
This one is ok, too.
I'm not naïve to the reason this is happening. Manufacturers know what they're doing, and are laughing all the way to the bank. Electronic gadgets while expensive to develop are cheap to mass produce. Disposable cars are good for their bottom line. Regulators have their heads up their asses, and their balls in the hands of the car industry.
What's really tragic, and where the insanity lies: the customers, the ones that should keep all the bull in check in a good free market, seem blissfully complacent with all of it, except for
maybe a slight tingle in the back of their mind that something just ain't right, and I'm not sure how this can be changed. I've seen very little literature, or journalism on the topic.
Here's one video I found that just scratches the surface of the problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3FDu8KvXOg
In my ideal fantasy reality, we should be able to buy a brand new ZHP that's absolutely bullet proof. No faulty window regulators, fading paint, shitty shift knobs, subframes that eat themselves, etc. But this doesn't exist, and really can't exist for ding-dong regulatory reasons. Not just for a ZHP, but for
any type of car, with the only exception being pickup trucks.
I could stop here, but I won't, because the same thing is happening everywhere. Appliances, computers, electronics, journalism, TVs, etc.
These are high dollar industries that are in the same vortex spiral of bullshit, and the customers are blissfully complacent except, again, for that nagging tingling feeling that something isn't quite right.
It seems only one edge, of the double-edged sword of the free market is doing any cutting right now.
Which brings me back to my original question:
What the fuck is going on?