Are You Sure You Want a Car With a Giant Touch Screen?

Are You Sure You Want a Car With a Giant Touch Screen? (theatlantic.com) 110 RAMageddon could soon push car prices higher as modern vehicles rely on ever more RAM and powerful centralized computers to run everything from infotainment to driver-assistance systems. Analysts cited by The Atlantic estimate the shortage could add a few percentage points to vehicle prices, which might not sound like much, but could potentially translate to around $2,000 on a $50,000 vehicle. The broader shift toward software-heavy vehicles could also make used cars even less affordable. An anonymous reader quotes an excerpt from the report: Just like laptops, cars depend on microprocessors and RAM, or random-access memory, to run all of their computations. "There's just a baseline level of tech, and thus a baseline level of cost, required of every vehicle," Karl Brauer, the executive analyst at iSeeCars, an automotive-research platform, told me. Technology is a major reason the average price of a new car in the U.S. has reached some $50,000, and that was before RAM became one of the most prized commodities in the world. AI companies are snatching up as much memory as possible for their data centers, causing a RAM shortage that has significantly raised the prices of phones, laptops, and just about any consumer-electronic device. Cars are next. [...] Over the next year, the memory shortage -- sometimes known as RAMageddon -- will likely raise vehicle prices by a few percentage points, on average, [said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Telemetry and a former automotive engineer]. The relative amount would be smaller than the shocking double-digit jumps for gaming consoles and MacBooks but in some ways more significant: A 4 percent price hike for cars amounts to some $2,000 on average. Cars with those centralized computers will be affected the most, but no vehicle will be spared. "Even if you don't need the high-end chips, you're going to pay more even for the low-end chips just because of the supply constraint," Abuelsamid said. On a recent earnings call, Ford's chief financial officer said that the company had paid $1 billion in higher materials costs due to the memory shortage and inflation. GM and Volkswagen, too, have noted rising chip costs to investors. (Ford and GM did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Volkswagen told me that the company has "recognized an increased demand for memory chips, primarily driven by growing requirements in other industries," and that in recent years, Volkswagen has taken measures to "mitigate supply risks.") RAMageddon is poised to last for several years, but the consequences for car buyers may be permanent. Consider what happened during the pandemic, when supply-chain disruptions and rising demand for electronics produced a major chip shortage. Nearly every major car company had to slash production because they simply couldn't procure enough chips, and shifted their focus to selling higher-end and higher-profit vehicles. Potential customers already willing to spend six figures on a car are much less likely to care about a 5 or 10 percent price hike, [said Ivan Drury, the director of insights at Edmunds]. Even now, car companies are continuing to focus on selling more profitable models. Since the pandemic, the average price of a new vehicle has jumped $11,000. The AI-fueled chip crisis could play out more severely. The average price of a new car could, before long, jump to $60,000 and beyond. These rising costs are making cars even more similar to computers and all of the software they run: Perhaps in an effort to mitigate higher prices, some automakers are also introducing in-car advertisements and putting certain features, such as heated seats, behind a paywall. As cars have morphed into computers, the inevitable next step is for automakers to behave like modern tech companies. [...] Over the next year, the memory shortage -- sometimes known as RAMageddon -- will likely raise vehicle prices by a few percentage points, on average, [said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Telemetry and a former automotive engineer]. The relative amount would be smaller than the shocking double-digit jumps for gaming consoles and MacBooks but in some ways more significant: A 4 percent price hike for cars amounts to some $2,000 on average. Cars with those centralized computers will be affected the most, but no vehicle will be spared. "Even if you don't need the high-end chips, you're going to pay more even for the low-end chips just because of the supply constraint," Abuelsamid said. On a recent earnings call, Ford's chief financial officer said that the company had paid $1 billion in higher materials costs due to the memory shortage and inflation. GM and Volkswagen, too, have noted rising chip costs to investors. (Ford and GM did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Volkswagen told me that the company has "recognized an increased demand for memory chips, primarily driven by growing requirements in other industries," and that in recent years, Volkswagen has taken measures to "mitigate supply risks.") RAMageddon is poised to last for several years, but the consequences for car buyers may be permanent. Consider what happened during the pandemic, when supply-chain disruptions and rising demand for electronics produced a major chip shortage. Nearly every major car company had to slash production because they simply couldn't procure enough chips, and shifted their focus to selling higher-end and higher-profit vehicles. Potential customers already willing to spend six figures on a car are much less likely to care about a 5 or 10 percent price hike, [said Ivan Drury, the director of insights at Edmunds]. Even now, car companies are continuing to focus on selling more profitable models. Since the pandemic, the average price of a new vehicle has jumped $11,000. The AI-fueled chip crisis could play out more severely. The average price of a new car could, before long, jump to $60,000 and beyond. These rising costs are making cars even more similar to computers and all of the software they run: Perhaps in an effort to mitigate higher prices, some automakers are also introducing in-car advertisements and putting certain features, such as heated seats, behind a paywall. As cars have morphed into computers, the inevitable next step is for automakers to behave like modern tech companies. Or just maybe... (Score:5, Insightful) they could stop putting massive computers inside of cars. I don't know which idiots thought these systems were a good idea but I think they are worst development since the Pinto introduced an integrated detonator switch into the bumper. Spam-O-Tron (Score:3) Executives can't resist shoving a new spam channel into your face. Even if they can't use it immediately due to regulations etc., the possibilities make their greedy marketing glands swell with giddiness. SiriusXM is already spamming my older model vehicle using tricks to get me to poke around in their music menu by pretending to malfunction. Long story, but here is similar behavior. [thedrive.com] Re: (Score:2) Executives can't resist shoving a new spam channel into your face. Even if they can't use it immediately due to regulations etc., the possibilities make their greedy marketing glands swell with giddiness. SiriusXM is already spamming my older model vehicle using tricks to get me to poke around in their music menu by pretending to malfunction. Long story, but here is similar behavior. [thedrive.com] How does that present itself? I've had SiriusXM for years and I'd like to see if I can invoke that. Japan: best hardware, dogshit software (Score:2) they could stop putting massive computers inside of cars. I don't know which idiots thought these systems were a good idea but I think they are worst development since the Pinto introduced an integrated detonator switch into the bumper. You're mixing up poorly designed screens with useful ones. Remember, the Japanese SUCK at software. I LOVE Japanese products, but hate anything they do involving computers, like cameras, cars, TVs, etc. Everything they do involving software seems 20 years behind. Their expensive flagship cameras that cost more than my last car still can't match conveniences we all took for granted on Android and iPhones 15 years ago. The same applies to their cars. The interfaces look like they're 10-20 years old....no Re: (Score:2) I honestly never have ridden in a modern Chevy or Ford with a touchscreen because I don't know anyone who owns one. I get in my Bolt, mash the "start" button, the infotainment boots and goes directly to CarPlay. Anything else I need to mess with while driving is via a physical control. Really, the only time there's any reason to go into the car's UI is if you want to play around with the charge settings and you're obviously not going to be charging while you're driving. Re: (Score:2) I can't agree more. The infotainment unit in my wife's Cube (here in Japan) the interface is fucked up. It's like 4 menus deep just to change what phone is connected to Bluetooth. The entire thing is super annoying. Re: (Score:2) You're mixing up poorly designed screens with useful ones. Remember, the Japanese SUCK at software. I LOVE Japanese products, but hate anything they do involving computers, like cameras, cars, TVs, etc. That's interesting, because I've seen some odd stuff on Asian built vehicles. My Jeeps infotainment systems are pretty good using CarPlay. When still, I can use the touchscreen. In motion, there are buttons on the steering wheel, and old school knobs below the screen, but there are functions it won't let me mess with while in motion. Has excellent hands-free phone and texting. It is pretty well thought out. My son's car, I forget what model, but asian, has an infotainment system that is utterly bizarre all JENSENS fault, I bet he gets ram cheap (Score:1) Seriously, all Jensans fault. HE knew he had a big demand, that would cause him to use most of the supply thus stuffing up the whole world. He should have either pre-pared SKhynix and said, tripple your ram output or, not bought all the ram off the supply. So they could either increase DDR4 supply, or make lower specced more supply of DDR5. Seriously how much ram do they need? A trillion peta bytes of ram? Improve your damn code first, instead of committing 50 billion in purchases, a smart person would buy less Re: all JENSENS fault, I bet he gets ram cheap (Score:1) Re:Or just maybe... (Score:4, Insightful) At least stop putting touch screens in cars. Re: Or just maybe... (Score:2) Touch screens are fine as long as you have physical controls for HVAC and at least volume. You can wait to change the radio station. Re: (Score:2) Sorry, no, any touch screen interaction is requiring you to look at what you are pointing at. Re: (Score:2) Sorry, no, any touch screen interaction is requiring you to look at what you are pointing at. Not sorry yes, you're going to have to look at those other things anyway. Re: (Score:2) Not if they are designed with proper tactical interface. Turn knobs with proper texture and position. Push buttons require that you see them, turn knobs you can feel. Re: (Score:2) Push buttons require that you see them, turn knobs you can feel. That's also an overgeneralization. There's lots of push buttons that you can feel your way across. My 240SX had a bunch of them. Re: (Score:2) Sorry, no, any touch screen interaction is requiring you to look at what you are pointing at. Sure, that's why smart designs have both touch screen and regular switches. A lot of things work best with a computer interface. And setting them up is done while sitting still. There are features like drive lane assist strength and lane assist that have different strengths that would be a real PITA to set up is no screen was present, Standards for pressure and temperature, and quite a few other things that a touch screen makes easy. But just like olde school cars, yeah - you have to look at the mechanic Re: (Score:2) On older cars you have to look at them a few times in the beginning, but then you know that this is the temperature dial and that is the fan speed and the radio volume etc. by feel and location. Re: (Score:2) Touch screens are fine as long as you have physical controls for HVAC and at least volume. You can wait to change the radio station. On my Jeep, they seem to have wanted to take care of everyone. Rather big touchscreen, But also has the olde school knobs and buttons for heat/ac and radio. Radio can also be controlled by switches on the steering wheel or by the touchscreen of course. Even the speedometer has an analog needle along with the digital display. It does not allow you to change a lot of settings while in motion. It is pretty darn good design, and accommodates pretty much all preferences. A couple of my favorite features are Re: (Score:2) It might even have an oil quality sensor, it's done by doing a dielectric measurement of the oil so it's pretty cheap. They aren't nuanced, but they are better than nothing. Mercedes likes them a lot, so Chrysler learned to like them too. There is one on our '06 Sprinter. It's also an oil temp sensor. Re: (Score:2) The head of Alfa Romeo understands. https://www.thedrive.com/news/... [thedrive.com] "I don't sell an iPad with a car around it, I sell an Alfa Romeo," Re: (Score:2, Insightful) Why are they not a good idea? You don't like advanced safety features? Navigation system that actually function? I really couldn't disagree with you more. Driving is a shit activity. People are shit drivers. It's one of the most dangerous activities we do. The more of it we offload to a computer the better, that is reflected in accident statistics. You may be an excellent driver, but the world is full of morons who can't park without a camera, are too busy playing with their phone to keep the car between whi Re: (Score:2) Some of that stuff is good. Autopilot systems that actually work are great for long distance driving. You need some compute power for Android Auto/Carplay, and having a built in sat nav can be useful too. Remote management of air conditioning and charging are very nice to have. Of course BMW's ads and other bullshit would be enough for me to return the car. My car has physical buttons for key functions too. They aren't massive (Score:2) As for the rest of the computers and software that's why you're able to drive a car. People insist on having cars that can accelerate like mad but get good gas mileage overall. Even if you don't personally care about gas mileage we have to force you to have a fuel efficient car o Re: (Score:3) How else are you going to pay-gate already-installed features, though?! Re: (Score:2) How else are you going to pay-gate already-installed features, though?! Direct neural implants? To continue your paid subscription to visual perception (tm), please update your payment information to avoid termination of services. Re: (Score:2) they could stop putting massive computers inside of cars. I don't know which idiots thought these systems were a good idea but I think they are worst development since the Pinto introduced an integrated detonator switch into the bumper. It was not bumper related, but the intake tube for the gas tank directly connected to the body of the car. And could have been mitigated by a recall that replaced the steel direct mount to a flexible coupling. But the idiots didn't do that. Ruined a nice little car. Re: (Score:2) I don't know which idiots thought these systems were a good idea but I think they are worst development since the Pinto introduced an integrated detonator switch into the bumper. It appears you are only capable of seeing things from a personal perspective. Let me educate you on WHY adding computers was and continues to be such a huge 'positive' impact: The computer guys figured out 'DRM'. This feature allows the manufacturer to more fully control the entire car. What I mean by that is that there are not really ANY aftermarket stereos anymore. Additionally there are more and more parts that can only be provided by the manufacturer. Many of those parts are designed to have a short life No, I don't. (Score:2, Insightful) Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Re:No, I don't. (Score:5, Insightful) Re: (Score:2) yep even for ICE vehicles they can do the same. The Tesla model of everything as touch controls is fundamentally flawed and dangerous, most manufacturers are realising their is very good reasons to have physical buttons be it an EV or ICE or something in between. The electric controls instead of a physical mechanical lever for the rear inside door latches should be a criminal matter. The idea that people unfamiliar with the car should just know to pull off a panel, dig inside for a cable, then pull to open the door when its life and death panic in a wreck is truly insane. Re: (Score:2) Given some of the places I drive, a pure EV is not an option for me ... Amish communities? Re: (Score:2) Re: No, I don't. (Score:2) Re:No, I don't. (Score:4, Interesting) >"A lot of the newer Chinese EV's have a nice balance with a touch screen for all the controls and then a set of physical buttons and controls for all the things you commonly touch while driving" That is also true of many Japanese vehicles. Nissan is doing it right, for example (my 2025 Ariya is great). Telsa is one of the worst offenders (they don't even have a dashboard, just a center screen). VW was pretty bad. Korean is a mixed bag. My advice is to REALLY examine what you are buying and make sure it has physical buttons for at least the primary functions: Primary audio- volume, track, play/pause, mode Primary HVAC- on/offf/temp/defog/recirc/vent positioning All wiper/washer functions All primary light functions Mirrors Primary seat controls Shifter, drive modes, parking brake mode, brake hold Locks and door/hatch/windows Camera views/mode Trip and primary info functions Re: No, I don't. (Score:2) After a DISASTROUS experiment with button-controlled climate control in my 2001 GTI VR6 (luxe, but stupid UI: press, press, down, down, down, down, down, down to get it cold RFN), my 2007 MkV GTI had a knob. Start the motor and whip that sucker down to "freezing". Done. Hope VW is still doing knobs. Touchscreens in cars are going to get people killed. Re: (Score:2) You can have both physical controls and a big screen. I like having a big screen for Android Auto, but wouldn't give up the buttons for other functions either. Re: (Score:2) Just use the MSX2+ platform (Score:2) 256KB of RAM and 128KB of VRAM should be more than enough, specially if the car software comes from a cartridge. There's even some fancy 21k color video modes that could serve you well. False dichotomy (Score:2) No, I don't want a big gargantuan touch screen blocking part of my view out the windshield. But I also want no part of the overcorrection that vehicle manufacturers like Slate are trying to push, either. I'm perfectly happy with the middle ground that I have with my '18 Chevy Bolt. The infotainment is unobtrusive, essential functions (such as HVAC controls) still have physical knobs and buttons, and it supports CarPlay* so the heavy lifting is all done by my phone. * Yes, I know Chevy has dropped that fea Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) You can still install aftermarket entertainment units? I thought all the car electrical stuff was displayed there as well... Re: (Score:2) It's been reported that the center dash will be able to fit a double din head unit (though physical mounting/wiring may be up to you - I would expect eventually someone makes a slightly more plug and play kit for it). There's only one screen in the slate (a very tiny one in the center of the instrument cluster) that is basically only there to display the backup camera video, in addition to being the speedometer and showing other charging and vehicle information. It has nothing to do with infotainment though. Re: (Score:2) No, I don't want a big gargantuan touch screen blocking part of my view out the windshield. Which company can you state is *blocking* your view? Sidenote: are you 4 foot tall? If so sorry. I've driven a lot of new cars (i rent them frequently). I've never seen a single one where the touch screen extends beyond the top of the existing dash and obscures any view. Quite the opposite (Score:3, Interesting) Are You Sure You Want a Car With a Giant Touch Screen? My wife and I currently have a loaner from the dealer while our car is in for repairs. In just two days of driving a '26 Accord, I find the honkin' big screen too cluttered and distracting. And even with such a big screen, Honda saw fit to put a little square patch on the instrument cluster which shows images broadcast by the station we were listening to. Because it changes randomly with no connection to driving, it's a stupid and pointless distraction. I am not a fan of video screens in a car, other than for GPS. I might feel differently if I had control over what gets displayed and if I could disable all the spying that the associated electronics are doing. But mostly, just "no" - I don't need that shit in my car. Re: (Score:2) I am not a fan of video screens in a car, other than for GPS. I might feel differently if I had control over what gets displayed and if I could disable all the spying that the associated electronics are doing. But mostly, just "no" - I don't need that shit in my car. If you’re not a fan and don’t need that shit, there’s always the fuse box. Which in all seriousness makes me wonder; how hard IS it to own a modern vehicle in which you disable the infotainment system? Is it even possible? Does the car still function 100% as a car? Did I disable safety features my insurance company will sue me over? I agree with GPS assistance. Other than that, we need transport more than we need to be infotained. The screen junkies pretending to not drive drunkenly distr Re: (Score:2) The screen junkies pretending to not drive drunkenly distracted every time, have other priorities behind the wheel. I'm sure you read this: https://entertainment.slashdot... [slashdot.org] Even I was shocked by that story. And while writing this I just had another thought: What's it going to be like when car manufacturers start imitating the fucktards at Apple and Google? Every new update brings fresh misery as people try to figure how to do today what muscle memory accomplished yesterday. No the only issue (Score:2) 7 years after last manufacture, so 8 years total if each year is a new model ? Add onto that all the wanky LED lighting systems for brakes, indicators, etc... how long before that exact shape etc will become unavailable ? The car industry will be loving the 8 year life span then "no can fix" period. This will lead into the batteries for EVs, each model having a different shape , or needing a specific car computer to work with, so no retrofitting batteries fr Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Next issue is how long will it be supported ? 7 years after last manufacture, so 8 years total if each year is a new model ? I have a 2001 Honda Civic Ex and 2002 CR-V Ex, both 5spd manuals with 136k and 62k miles respectively. They're both in great condition. They don't have any of the modern electronic crap and I have trouble imagining that all this stuff will be supported on newer vehicles for 25+ years - or at least not inexpensively. Re: (Score:2) how long before that exact shape etc will become unavailable ? Basically never? The vast majority of the car industry, including "first party" car parts are not designed, manufactured or have their life spans dictated by the car manufacturer. And even if they do the world is full of a wealth of 3rd party parts. e.g. Siemens stopped manufacturing the crankshaft index sensor for my previous 20 year old car, it took about 10 minutes to order one from China. GM stopped manufacturing the hydraulic hoses (with a special custom connector) for my dad's old convertible. He found I want physical buttons (Score:2) I want no screen on the center console. I can use my phone for navigation and I can use an app to talk to the car for deep stuff. Other than that I want buttons, sliders and rotating switches for the environment and audio systems. Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Apparently some cars come with always listening AI assistants now. I wish that was a bad joke but it's not. Re: (Score:2) I want no screen on the center console. I can use my phone for navigation I don't want to be rear-ended by you squinting at a tiny device you shoehorned into your dangerous driving experience, so I guess we both can't win here. I'm with you on the buttons though. Re: (Score:2) I want no screen on the center console. I can use my phone for navigation I don't want to be rear-ended by you squinting at a tiny device you shoehorned into your dangerous driving experience... I dunno. Way back when tiny GPS units swaying on the dashboard were all the rage, I don't recall a big increase in accidents tied to them. Except for those caused by substituting the GPS directions for eyesight and common sense, that is. Maybe because the GPS wasn't primarily an interactive device? Re: (Score:2) I tilted at this windmill in a prior discussion about Slate. Some people just love their late 90s vehicle aesthetics, with a phone holder hanging off an air conditioning vent and a long ass charging cord dangling in the breeze. I don't get it. Personally: 1. When I'm not driving, I don't want to have to carry around a phone with a screen that's large enough for my middle aged eyes to clearly see while driving. Plus, it saves me money not having to buy the iPhone Ultra Pro Ginormous Mega edition every time Yes, but let me simplify this. (Score:5, Insightful) Re: (Score:2) I own a Tesla and am renting a car that only has CarPlay. It is miserable; maps are significantly worse, integration is half-assed and clunky. It is amazing to me that a Tesla going on 7 years old is so much better than a new Ford... As for the cost premium, hard to see where vehicle RAM requirements will get close to $1k premium. Re: (Score:2) I own a Tesla and am renting a car that only has CarPlay. It is miserable; maps are significantly worse, integration is half-assed and clunky. I've seen people on Reddit saying the opposite. [reddit.com] Google Maps works just fine through CarPlay, and it's the same navigation you'd be getting if you used the app directly on your phone. Re: Yes, but let me simplify this. (Score:2) Re: Yes, but let me simplify this. (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and nothing else. Car makers, stop wasting time and money developing your own software stack. You suck at it. I could not disagree more. Yes all car makers should support AA and CarPlay, but precisely none of them shouldn't develop their own system. No car on the market should ever have its functionality dependent on another device. A car needs to have 100% of its functionality (that includes navigation systems and music, etc) without being at the whims of a flat battery, a broken USB cable, a Spoty wireless connection, a software glitch on the phone, having been mugged in the street or otherwise broken your phone Re: (Score:2) Most insightful - I wish I had mod points. Re: (Score:2) I like Honda's approach. In newer models, the native infotainment is Google. You can either pay for a data plan or connect your phone and use its data connection. Re: (Score:2) I certainly am sure of one thing (Score:2) I've recently read of BMW putting movie trailers for the upcoming Spiderman movie on the screen of their latest cars. If consumers don't push back hard against this, every other OEM will follow suit. Be real (Score:2) There is not going to be $2,000 worth of RAM in a new computer, get real. Tesla Y has 16GB RAM in the FSD/Autopilot and 8GB RAM in the infotainment computer. This is just an excuse for people to whine about how all they want is a car without automatic window openers. Re: (Score:2) >"There is not going to be $2,000 worth of RAM in a new computer, get real" This is my position. ALL new cars are going to have screens and some type of infotainment, even if they have physical buttons as well (like mine does). So there is a base amount of RAM that is needed for ANY system. The additional amount for more functions is negligible compared to the price of the vehicle. So they double the 4GB of RAM to 8GB? Big whoop- what does that add? Another $100 or $200 on a $30,000 or $50,000 vehic Speculation (Score:2) Re: (Score:2) Re: (Score:1) â like this ?? I'm all-in on keeping my used cars going. (Score:5, Interesting) Everything in this space lately has been a huge turnoff. Modern cars were never so physically capable, safe, and smooth handling, and yet they are absolute garbage in the human interface department. Giant touchscreens and gadgets are the equivalent of chrome and giant tailfins gone amok in the 1950s. Quite happy with my 2016-era Mazda with a basic infotainment setup, bluetooth to my phone which has everything I need. My truck that I use to haul things occasionally is 26 years old. I have a bluetooth to cassette adapter in that one (a lawful-evil wedding of technology) and yet it works fine. The wife has a Tesla, and while it has an amazing powertrain, it is just so aggravating to interface with in so many ways. No buttons for the mirrors. No buttons for the wiper. (there's one button on the end of a stalk to activate the wiper+spray automatic thing) If you leave the auto-wiper on it randomly activates and smears the windshield in the driest of weather. The door handles are terrible. The lack of any kind of physical controls for climate and entertainment is terrible. It is super distracting to try to do anything while driving. It calls home to mother and reports on everything you're doing. The auto dimming mirror, like all auto-dimming mirrors, doesn't dim enough nor when you want it to. The adaptive cruise control constantly slams on the brakes on highways with grade level intersections or if you're coming up on a hump on a road that hasn't been graded flat. The insurance is sky high. The tires wear out quickly due to the weight, and are very expensive. Anything saved in gas is made up for in those other things. You can see where they had all these ideas and just didn't think them through. Whereas traditional auto manufacturers understand a lot of these things and even on their electric offerings still have plenty of physical buttons and not-ridiculous interface peculiarities. I got a ride in a friend's Hyundai Ioniq5 a little ago and it was great. Felt like a regular car with lots of buttons. But they are priced as such that any savings in gas is made up for in the overall cost of ownership of the car. So you're not doing it for that, you're doing it just to have the other features of an electric car or feel better about yourself. I don't feel it's worth it for that. My cars are paid for and the daily driver is absurdly cheap to fuel and maintain, so I'll stick with it until some sanity returns to the modern car market. (unlikely...) Re: (Score:3) "The wife has a Tesla, and while it has an amazing powertrain, it is just so aggravating to interface with in so many way" Yeah, most of us knew that already and didn't spend $$$$ to find out the hard way. Maybe do some research and a test drive first before you open your wallet next time? 16GB RAM is $200 (Score:2) 16GB RAM is $200, that really is just not that big of a deal in terms of a car price. I don't think they were going to put 128GB HBM compute cards in a lot of cars anyway. Re: (Score:2) TFA is stupid for multiple reasons. Just not having a big touch screen doesn't eliminate the computer. The modern car uses a computer to draw the dashboard and to manage all manner of sensors and safety systems. anyone really want these ? (Score:5, Insightful) I don't know a single person who ever said that they want more or bigger touchscreens in their car. Quite the opposite. I want physical controls and so do most people I've talked to. This is a car, not an iPad. Most of it I should be able to operate without taking my eyes off the road. And a touchscreen doesn't offer that. In fact, Euro NCAP agrees [etsc.eu]. If you want a 5-star rating, you need physical controls. The only people who want touchscreens are the car manufacturers, because it's cheaper and easier. Re: (Score:2) >"I don't know a single person who ever said that they want more or bigger touchscreens in their car." Well, I am one of those, even though you don't know me. I am much happier with the much larger touch screen in my new vehicle compared to my previous, 16-year-old one. Maps are much easier to see, more information, better layout, less scrolling, and larger fonts and buttons. >"Quite the opposite. I want physical controls and so do most people I've talked to." So do I. And that was a requirement. Min Re: (Score:2) In fact, Euro NCAP agrees [etsc.eu]. If you want a 5-star rating, you need physical controls. The only people who want touchscreens are the car manufacturers, because it's cheaper and easier. Your comment is applying a headline to something that isn't at all under discussion. The Euro NCAP says if you want a 5 star rating a bunch of core controls must be available as touch control. Currently it looks like it will affect 3 makers of cars on the road, Tesla (the functionality of windscreen wipers can't be managed without the touchscreen), VW who on a small set of their models put capacitive touch sensors on the steering wheel, and Volvo (by extension Polestar) who for some reason made the hazard i I'm sure I do not (Score:2) I'm pretty happy with my soon-25-year-old "compact" sedan, thank you, except that it is already slightly bigger and heavier than I would have liked. But its computing ingredients are minimal, nothing annoys, nothing diverts my attention from where it needs to be: on the road, and anti-lock brakes and traction control (I also got by excellently without the latter for most of my driving career) are all I require in terms of technical features. If I wouldn't want an electric car at some point, I wouldn't even c NO (Score:3) There's only one bigass screen to rule them all (Score:3) Don't want any screen at all (Score:2) I have a 2012 model year Ford installed with Sync and voice commands, and actual buttons, knobs, and dials. Why the fuck would I ever want a giant screen in my dash? Yet more signs of US’s descent into irreleva (Score:2) This stuff is just so marginally important compared to what actually matters: improvements in battery chemistries and motors, etc. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve had flash charging coming onstream for LFP, sodium starting from three big players (CATL, BYD, Gotion), Geely saying solid state starting in 2027 and being very specific about it this is what really matters. No. I don't (Score:3) Single screen means single point of failure. I don't really want a car anymore (Score:2) I'd rather be without a car but I still need one. so I guess my next car will be a used one as small as possible with as little "features" as possible. I do not care about it at all anymore. :D Are YOU sure UAW was right? (Score:2) Couple more points? More than $50K? Are YOU sure you’re not going to continue to be told by the consumer to eat a bag of dicks with that fiscal arrogance? Because right now we have our sales-lot-rotting choice of models, colors, trims, and even multiple years of new cars to choose from.** Because the fucking stealerships can’t seem to get a clue. You’re supposed to SELL the cars. You decided to run museums dedicated to the idiotic argument of “but the CEO makes 300x more than me. Yes I do (Score:2) I don't want a car the use of which is dependent on me gluing my shitty phone onto the windscreen. I don't want a car where I need to squint at a tiny navigation screen to see where I am going next. Everyone here talking about touch screens vs buttons are missing the point. Both can exist, and when they do a larger, easier to read screen is infinitely better than a small hard to use one. Even better than that would be proper functional HUDs, Mazda have something approaching this in the new Mazda 3, but so fa Excuses excuses (Score:3) Sounds to me just an excuse to take more profit. Tactile knobs and dials (Score:2) Don't care about the screen (Score:2) Albeit I don't want to have to buy replacement processors on EBay if the car is 20 years old, like NASA had to do. Percentage points? (Score:2) "add a few percentage points to vehicle prices" - why not just "add a few percent to vehicle prices"? I thought percentage points only make sense when talking about differences in percentages, not differences in actual numbers. Hell no. (Score:2) I don't want a car with any sort of touch-screen. In fact, apart from the backup camera, I don't want a screen at all. When the car is not in reverse, the screen should either be blank or showing GPS navigation. That's it. I had two and I hate it (Score:2) I had a Toyota Prius Prime 2020 with a ±12 inch tablet that control, sound, HVAC, and all the config menu of other electronic in the car. That was a great experience the system that control the screen will take minutes to load and keep the sound, and HVAC at the same level than the last time someone use the car, but won't connect to the device until it's completly loaded, and then it will reboot out of no where with the same process out of no where when you drive. So during several minutes, you can't c Anecdata (Score:2) $2000? (Score:2) Re: (Score:2)