Race Cars Used to be a Test Bed for Technology; Now it's Your Daily Driver

If you have looked at the front page of any newspaper or thumbed through your favourite magazine at the grocery store lately, I am sure that you have noticed autonomous (self-driving) vehicles are the talk of the industry. With the advances that they could bring to the transportation industry this fanfare is much deserved. However, as you can imagine, bringing such amazing technology to the market causes manufacturers some issues. The research and development budget needs to increase exponentially to ensure that these vehicles are safe once they reach the market.

What if they would only release the technology a small amount at a time, how about maybe a new option for a vehicle? If you have been watching the automotive industry closely, this is what they have been doing. Years ago vehicles had what we could call very limited new options. Manufacturers would wow the industry by releasing a new colour or maybe a new radio option. However, fast forward to today’s market and things are different.

Every year brings a large advancement of technology and options that were not available in last year’s model. Electronic power steering is all but standard on most vehicles. Lane assist, adaptive cruise, and thermal night vision are only a few of the cool options that have been released over the last few years. By advancing this technology and providing vehicle owners with new technology. Manufacturers are now able to test this new technology and see how it reacts in a real world environment.

The saying “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” may be changing as fast as the technology in our vehicles. It used to be that race cars were a supplier of new technology to our daily drivers. The research and development on these high dollar race cars to make them faster and safer would eventually trickle down into our daily drivers.  Today, our vehicles have turned into this test bed for new technology.

Sometimes, this can be problematic for vehicle owners. With the advancement of technology, finding someone that is educated to repair your vehicle is becoming hard. With automotive technicians becoming scarce, the likelihood of having a local technician who is able to diagnose and repair these options becomes difficult. There are websites around that provide excellent do-it yourself auto repair information.

Sources like this are able to educate you on the inner workings of your vehicle and learn more about how it functions. Dealership repair facilities are also becoming more relevant as is the importance of having correct service tools and training..

Another issue that consumers are running into is a constant need to take their vehicles in for recalls. As these new systems develop “unplanned” issues, the vehicles need to go back to the dealer to get an update to one of the many modules that the vehicle is equipped with. This makes for a not so great ownership experience.

As you can see when you are shopping for a new vehicle some thought needs to be made when it comes to what accessories you would like this vehicle to have. The technology today’s vehicles are equipped with is making driving safer but it does come with its issues. The days of having a vehicle that is trouble free may be coming to an end.

About the Author

John Morris is the technical editor for AutoKnowIt.com. His years of experience in automotive repair as well as an automotive professor have prepared him to ensure that even the most technical information is accurate and concise at all times.