15·
6 months agoEverything is integrated into the computer network for every function… so if you want an old style analog speedometer how analog do you go? Cable on the gearbox (no software, no bugs, no electronics if you choose a mechanical gauge)? Separate sensor near the transmission (basic analog electronics)? Analog readout from the multiplexed network on an electronic gauge?
Cars are already incredibly complicated and expensive to meet current legal requirements.
I agree, people buy cars like this though, to me modern cars are extremely annoying because of this extreme cost-cutting without any thought put into it. They even lack basic functions like dimming the gauge lights that were standard in the 1980s on cheap cars, or turning off a screen completely and still having the steering wheel controls for the radio… turning off ESP for getting out of slippery places that it gets confused by is also a challenge on a lot of cars.
People have very different priorities from commercial users that need an impeccable safety record and no compromise on reliability, they’re buying a steel box on wheels to get from A to B, preferably in a fashionable shape.
If you’ve ever nearly died because the car decided a reflection was an imminent collision risk and braked hard on the motorway, you know that cars are way worse than Boeing.