Driving Dystopia: Ford Patent Would Have Vehicles Repossess Themselves

The number of U.S. vehicle owners who are more than 59 days behind in their auto loan payments was 26.7 percent higher at the end of 2022 than they were at the end of 2021. This is due to a myriad of factors. Car payments have gotten larger, loan terms have increased, inflation has devalued the currency, and subprime borrowers are finding themselves on the wrong end of a widening wealth gap. 

While automotive repossessions declined during the pandemic, mainly due to lenders offering amnesty periods, they’ve likewise spiked through the end of 2022. This trend is assumed to continue, setting up a lot of business for repo men. However, Ford Motor Co. has patented a system that would effectively make vehicles unresponsive to drivers that have missed a few payments. Meanwhile, automobiles boasting the latest advanced driving technologies could allegedly repossess themselves. 

Read more
  • Bd2 The Equus was a decent 1st effort (not-withstanding the prior JV with Mitsu), but the interior was not quite up to par and the US engineers over-corrected the soft KDM suspension tuning.The current G90 is simply leap years ahead.
  • 28-Cars-Later "Low 50Fs" is convertible time?
  • Lou_BC Loose nuts? Too much puffing?
  • ToolGuy "Simply put, the world is changing, and our industry needs to change with it,"Q: How many auto execs does it take to change a lightbulb?A: 'Change???'
  • ToolGuy 134 cubic inch V6 with turbos and Firestone tires? Pass. 🙂