#Editorials

While the driving masses are gradually becoming aware that automakers are using connected vehicles to sell off user data to third-party data brokers, there isn’t a lot of public information on exactly how this business is being conducted. However, headway is indeed being made.

A letter to the Federal Trade Commission has revealed that these automakers are not only selling off your personal data, they’re doing it for a pathetically small sum of money. Penned by U.S. senators Ron Wyden and Edward J. Markey, the document pertains to data broker Verisk and an earlier story that roped in several major manufacturers.

With emissions regulations encouraging automakers to pivot toward tiny engines and all-electric vehicles, some have likewise expressed a renewed interest in synthetic fuels. German brands, particularly Porsche, have been stressing the importance of “e-fuels” and Subaru recently announced plans to run the 2024 Super Taikyu Series using a WRX converted to run on synthetic fuels “making internal combustion engines more environmentally friendly.”

But the concept isn’t exactly a new one, leading many to question how sustainable it actually is.

Last year, BMW walked back its decision to offer subscriptions for heated seats. This came after numerous automakers had started considering the financial benefits of placing hardware already equipped to the vehicle behind recurring paywalls. While just about every brand was testing the waters of subscription-based features, German nameplates were the most aggressive and therefore caught the most backlash.

Ultimately, the incurred shame forced the industry to retreat. But the intention to normalize subscriptions remained and BMW has since decided to offer monthly billings on adaptive headlights — which is something you’d expect a luxury brand to offer by default.

While the Mercury Capri never quite matched the Ford Mustang on the domestic market, the former became a performance icon in Europe. Chasing the success of the Cortina’s numerous sporting variants, Blue Oval thought the region might want a coupe to fill a niche similar to the Mustang’s. The gamble worked and the feisty little fastback went on to be a big success in Europe.

Absent from the market for decades, Ford has opted to revive the model. Sadly, the resulting product represents its predecessor in no way. Rather than being a sprightly lightweight coupe wearing the blue badge, it’s another electrified crossover.

A month or two back, I was told in no uncertain terms that I could no longer plug in electrified vehicles -- meaning "pure" battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) -- to charge when parking them in the large parking garage that's attached to the condo building I live in.

With the HALT Act having passed in 2021, the United States is less than two years away from making driver-monitoring technologies standard equipment. While this issue has been downplayed by the legacy media for years, the main reason was because the Department of Transportation hadn’t yet decided what form the equipment would take.

At the same time, consumer advocacy groups and a smattering of automotive enthusiasts have been sounding alarm bells relating to user privacy. With the government suggesting that these systems not only be ubiquitous in all new vehicles by 2026, but likewise communicate with law enforcement and even remotely deactivate a vehicle, there are some serious concerns about how they may serve as a giant violation of our collective rights.