Yes, true. My guess is that half of these new cars (i.e. 50%) could end-up being a massive financial burden on the owners and eventually the country within 10-15 years.
SDVs (Software Defined Vehicles) are NOT proven in the real world for decades yet. It's nice to be able to say "Hey BYD, open sunroof" until one little software/network/connectivity/hardware module glitch bricks the entire thing! It`s 2026 and my Windows 11 PC still has Software issues. Imagine when a car shits itself at the wrong place at the wrong time with the whole family inside.
The entire car industry is at a historical milestone and manufactures are barely keeping up with the speed of change (from electrification to emissions standards to software development).
For me personally, the following are a massive no no at this point in time with new cars (might be a different story in 10 years when technologies have evolved):
** Any PHEV - hideously complicated for little benefit
** Any SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) - Tesla is probably an exception, but there is a chance that their current hardware won't be able to run the latest and greatest software in 10 years.
** Any small engined car with un-proven tech - i.e. wet timing belts, belt driven mild-hybrid systems, AMT etc..
** Diesel engines - almost dead technology for passenger cars/4WDs`
The following are safe bets when it comes to new cars IMHO:
** Toyota and Honda Hybrids with eCVT or similar drivetrain - Proven for a few decades already
** Basic EV`s which are NOT full-blown SDV`s. Don't know whether there is such a thing available in the market though
** Anything with a traditional petrol drivetrain with no experimental tech.
