“There is consumer pressure to back away from technology that is unnecessary to perform everyday tasks.”

    • bridgeburner@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      I wish. Instead, the EU releases continously new regulations which makes cars, especially small ones, prohibitively expensive, all in the name of safety. Cheap simple cars are a thing of the past, all new cars are stuffed with unnecessary but mandatory tech just so car manufacturers can make a higher profit.

      • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca
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        8 hours ago

        perceived safety

        they’re pushing LED headlights that are clearly dangerously blinding. like has nobody ever heard of a hill before jfc

      • rumba@lemmy.zip
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        10 hours ago

        I wonder if someone sat down and really looked at the legistation and the engineering, if we couldn’t get away with cheaper solutions. Cars have something like a dozen purpose built computers now, can’t we just replace all that bs with a standard piece of hardware? Lane tracking, eye tracking, it’s like everything they do is bespoke.

        • Clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works
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          8 hours ago

          That sounds a bit like the U.S. regulations requiring sealed-beam headlights, where manufacturers had to choose between a handful of allowed designs. That way, the govt was sure that all headlights were up to safety spec.

          It’s a good idea, and could help prevent things like the VW emissions cheating scandal.

      • kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        I really think there should be a middle zone between the quadricycle regulation (like the Citroen Ami, Renault Twizy, etc) and “normal” cars. Make a class for simple and cheap cars that are more capable than the quadricycles, but still have some conservative power and/or speed limits, size limits, and some safety standards.

        I’m imagining a class of vehicles that are like a modern take on the post-war economy cars like the Fiat 500, Citroen 2cv, VW beetle, etc. Something similar to the Japanese kei cars, but probably even more restrictive on power.