https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/29/please-make-a-dumb-car/

Best. Article. Ever.

I bought a 2019 Nissan mid-sized pickup truck, exactly because it was a basic truck that Nissan had not updated since the 1990's.  Some simple electronics like a backup camera and rear proximity sensors but that is it.  It's all simple enough even I can figure it out.  I jumped on buying it because they were due to come out with a total redesign in the next year or so which would be all electronic do-dads.  All I wanted was something to haul stuff without a lot of fuss.

My brother's 1926 Model T is so "dumb" that you have to adjust the carburetor while you are driving it.  In order to drive smoothly, you are always adjusting something. (Throttle on the steering wheel, carburetor next to the steering wheel and the gears on the floor.)  It kind of surprises me that cars took off considering how difficult they were to drive. 

I was expecting to dislike that article because I thought the author was going to come out against collision avoidance, lane keeper, adaptive cruise control and other smart features which I like and am looking forward to when we finally get a new car. My nephew was saying that collision avoidance reduces injury crashes by 70% that sounds good.

Then I read the article and he agrees with all of the above. It's the dumb smart features not the smart smart features he wants to get rid of. I couldn't agree more with his list of what to keep and what to shed. Most of the stuff he wants to shed is unneeded, expensive, replaceable by better and cheaper aftermarket stuff (which is a lot of his argument), drives up the cost of the car and, crucially, creates more subscription opportunities for automakers.

I'm not always against the "extra" revenue streams. I actually really like that the airlines now charge "extra" for meals and luggage. I brought my own food for years so getting a "free" meal on the plane was just a waste of money. I never use the overhead bin, so getting a "free" carry-on bag was just increasing my ticket price. I see the airlines as responding to consumer demand for the most part and that is keeping my ticket prices lower because mostly I don't demand that stuff I was getting "for free" in the past.

I see what's happening in the auto industry as fundamentally different. It's like the mandatory homeowner's association in a community where they don't provide any services I want.

>> surprises me that cars took off

Well, for one thing, you only need to feed them when you drive them. Of course, if they break down, you can't eat them, so that's a downside (that last was something I heard from an old Inuit who was explaining why he had switched back to dog sleds after trying snowmobiles).

>My brother's 1926 Model T is so "dumb"

That said, they are pretty bullet proof.  There are Model Ts out there with the original engine still running today, nearly 100 years later.