FELLOWSHIP of the Motor Industry

We're recruiting for a Chief Executive Officer! Take the next step in your career at The Institute of the Motor Industry and help 100,000 members take their next steps too. As our new CEO you will transform, advance and grow the IMI, to inspire and lead a team of staff, members, linked organisations and volunteers to deliver the IMI’s Ambition, Vision, Mission & Strategic Plan. You will also work with our Board to develop and implement ambitious growth plans, through the IMI strategy, budget and business plan. Our output is to deliver the skills and competences that the automotive retail sector needs today and tomorrow. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eYn3bwec. #ProudToBeIMI

I have to get something off my chest. I think most level 1 autonomous driving functions in modern cars are a nightmare. Having been active in the car industry for 30-odd years, I have seen many innovations. Most of these have significantly improved safety and driving enjoyment. However, I can not get my head around the fact that many of the more recent 'innovations' towards autonomous driving simply don't work reliably. They are confusing, annoying and sometimes (in my humble opinion) not very safe. And car makers have decided it's OK to release these functions way before they're ready and mature. An example - while visiting the UK for a few days last week I made the mistake of renting a 2024 Cupra Leon TSI. In the course of a few days and a few hundred miles, I experienced: - Multiple emergency braking alerts for non-existing threats (e.g. a car in front gently slowing down to turn left) - Dozens of incorrect speed limit readings - Several lane keeping assist interventions that pushed me in the wrong direction - Two instances where my adaptive cruise control decided to increase the speed to 70mph in a 50mph roadworks zone, despite a multitude of 50mph signs - And most disconcertingly, one occasion where I was doing 70mph in the outside lane of the motorway, overtaking a lorry, when the adaptive cruise control declared it had detected a 50mph speed limit and decided to brake and reset the cruise control to 50mph (no 50mph limit in sight). Add to that the fact that many of the most 'basic' functions such as air vent speed are hidden on the second page of the centre screen (no buttons to feel your way around) - and I think we have a perfect mix of distractions that will render the car less safe than the previous generation of cars. And most of this new functionality is annoying as hell. I know of course that several of these 'enhancements' are driven by legislation. I also know that some functionality can be turned off after starting the car, if you dig deep enough into the touchscreen menus. But frankly, I don't want to spend several minutes scrolling through sub-menus every time I jump in the car. None of this has anything to do with the transition to electric cars - electric propulsion can work just fine without all the issues described above. Technological progress is fantastic. BUT - new functionality should not be released into the wild unless it is stable. Legislation should be dialled back to something that carmakers can actually achieve consistently and reliably, and carmakers should stop releasing immature tech. As it is, I am happily going to continue driving my slightly older car(s). I'll buy a new one once the (im-)maturity of ADAS technology stops infuriating me. ...and can we have some of our buttons back please?