Why Some New Auto Trends Aren’t Connecting With Drivers
Every year, automotive manufacturers look for new ways to make their vehicles stand out from the competition. This often leads to weird and wonderful trends that either stand the test of time or fade into history. Let's take a closer look at 15 new automotive trends that are already failing.
Subsciption-Based Features
For some reason, automotive companies thought that it would be a good idea to start charging customers monthly subscription fees for certain services, such as heated car seats or advanced driving modes. As you would imagine, this sparked major pushback and has slowly started to be phased out.
Gesture Controls
Being able to change your car's settings with the simple wave of a hand may sound great, but it isn't very practical. Just think about how often you unknowingly move your hands around when in the car... Before you know it, you've changed settings you didn't even know existed!
Coupe-SUV Hybrids
Coupe-SUV hybrids were popular for a while, but they are starting to be phased out. These designs usually sacrifice practicality for style and as time goes on, buyers are starting to realize that they simply aren't worth the trade-off.
Over-Sized Touch Screen Displays
As cars become more advanced, one feature that has grown in popularity is the oversized infotainment screen. While it may sound great in theory, in reality, it posed a safety risk to drivers and passengers, as the screen only served as a distraction.
Overactive Lane-Keeping Systems
This system is designed to make driving safer for everyone involved. However, in reality, it didn't work as well as manufacturers would have liked. Poorly calibrated systems often jerked the steering wheel or misinterpreted road markings, leading to plenty of frustration from drivers.
Illuminated Grilles
While illuminated grilles don't affect performance in any way, they are now seen as overly flashy. More so, this feature adds a completely unnecessary cost, making the car more expensive than it already is.
Touchscreen Glove Box
While it may sound cool, touchscreen glove boxes are now seen as a perfect example of overengineering. They are also expensive and completely unnecessary. In many cases, they can even be impractical, as buyers have complained about their glove boxes opening or closing randomly.
Subscription-Based Safety Features
When you buy a car, you hope that whoever designed it took safety into account. However, for a while, subscription-based safety features were becoming more and more common. In other words, drivers would have to pay a monthly fee to gain access to certain safety features. Luckily, this trend seems to be dying.
Pop-Crackle Engine Tuning
To make smaller cars sound more impressive, many manufacturers included artificial engine sounds in their engine design. However, while this may have been popular for a short while, it is now seen as gimmicky and downright annoying.
Flat-Bottom Steering Wheels
While flat-bottom steering wheels were originally designed for race cars, they are now seen in just about every modern vehicle - even family SUVs. However, this trend is slowly being phased out, as the original circular design is simply more ergonomic.
Overpriced EVs With Rapid Price Cuts
It's no secret that EVs are pricey. However, many buyers are starting to realize that these cars sell for a fraction of their price just a few months after their initial release. This trend has led to a loss in brand trust over the years, which is exactly why it is starting to be phased out.
Social Media Integration
This one is pretty self-explanatory. There's no reason for drivers to have Facebook or TikTok open on their dashboard - it's simply unsafe and serves as a major distraction.
Massive Wheels and Thin Tires
While they may look cool, wheels with massive rims and thin tires aren't very practical. In fact, they actually reduce ride comfort and lead to steep repair costs. Other than the aesthetics, there really is no benefit to having them on your car.
Fake Vents and Carbon Fiber Trim
Like many modern trends, fake vents and carbon fiber trim simply don't serve any real purpose - other than aesthetically, of course. However, many people think that it looks a bit too tacky, which is exactly why the trend has started to be phased out.
Fake Exhaust Tips
In the past few years, we have seen more and more cars released with elaborate exhaust attachments that serve no actual purpose. While they are advertised as being simply decorative, many people found them misleading and, quite honestly, rather tacky.
