Last week’s poll: 'smart cars' as consumer electronics

Notable among exhibitors were Byton, a start-up looking to turn the car ‘into the next-generation smart device’.

They believe car buyers will soon select new vehicles in the same way that people choose a new mobile phone, based more on the operating system and the available software capabilities than its performance on the road.

This prompted us to ask Engineer readers what they think about this emerging trend.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of respondents saw the convergence of automotive and consumer technologies as an inevitable consequence of electrification, whilst nearly a third (31 per cent) agreed that the trend would ultimately over complicate vehicles. A total of 13 per cent thought the automotive sector should stick to transport without the bells and whistles, and the remaining nine per cent opted for ‘none of the above’.

Judging by the 21 comments received to date, Engineer readers are not overly enamoured with an automotive future that includes technologies such as touch screen controls.