US Drivers: We Don't Need No Stinkin' In-Car Internet!
JD Powers' mob have released yet another study detailing the personal predilections of American automotive consumers. Although this reveal has a headline to warm the hearts of the BOSE Mountain Boyz– "Branding Substantially Increases the Prices Consumers Are Will to to Pay for Automotive Premium Surround Sound Audio Systems"– the survey examines the full range of " emerging technologies." JD's researchers called 17k American consumers [at dinner time] and asked them which automotive gee-whizzery floats their e-boat, both before and after price considerations. If you suck money out of the equation, U.S. car buyers are up for run-flat tires (77 percent of those polled), two-stage smart airbags (75 percent), navigation systems (70 percent) and premium surround sound (67 percent). At the bottom of the list: rear seat entertainment (49 percent), lane departure warning systems (42 percent) and in-vehicle Internet (41 percent). Put financial considerations back on the table and all the stats drop by over a half, leaving sat nav the price-conscious feature seeker's friend A 28 percent approval rating may not seem like much, but it beats the Hell out of Congress' popularity.
More by Robert Farago
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I have a cheap compressor and tire patch kit in my car. Never had to use it on my own vehicle, but I patched my coworker's tire last summer. If the blowout is more severe I can always fall back on the donut. Having a compressor is also handy for topping off tire pressure periodically.
Actually, the typical run-flat, like the ones BMW mounts on I think 3-Series, is limited to 50 miles at 50 mph (not its lifetime, but the amount you're allowed to drive on it without stopping). And you better hope there's a BMW dealer within that range, since they're the only ones that can dismount and replace (they're usually not repairable) it. Even big tire shops don't have the machines.
I urge anyone interested in purchasing a new BMW to carefully research the run flat tire technology that comes standard on so many of their products. It's now so commonly known as a mistake, that BMW sales people are trained not to mention RFTs during a sales presentation. Last great BMW product? 2003 BMW M5 (E39).
I don't think that people really understand what in car internet may be: Not the traditional keyboard and mouse that the average consumer is familiar with. Navigation, traffic reports and live data delivered via wireless communications from vehicle to vehicle will be network based.