self driving cars | Lamarque Ford

In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of buzz about Apple building a vehicle to rival efforts from other tech companies already in the race. However, given the amount of rumors always surrounding Apple, we remain skeptical.

According to Bloomberg News report, Apple has a team of over 200 employees working in a car project and it has snatched top-level executives from Ford and Mercedes. The same sources say Apple is aiming at 2020 for a release date.

But is Apple actually working on a car? Or is it trying to develop new technology for the dashboard? What we know is that when/if Apple enters a new industry, it changes the playing field. Apple already offers an in-car infotainment system called CarPlay, which takes over the onboard screen and displays the familiar iOS interface, with access to Siri, Maps, Phone, Messages and Music through your iPhone. Apple is all about the user experience, and if the company feels the current solutions are not good enough, they will do something about it.

Although the company has deep pockets (an estimated $178 billion cash-on-hand), the intricacy of the vehicle production system and supply chain still amount for what makes car companies great today. For the last 100 years, major improvements in the auto industry have been on the production side, and each time a manufacturer makes big strides on this front, they attain an unprecedented level of success. Ford started early in the 1900 with innovations in the assembly line, then GM in the 80’s and Toyota in the 90’s.

Apple is also known for its flawless management of the supply chain and production, so we can expect advancements on this front.

So do you think Apple is actually building a car? All we have to say is that when they first introduced the iPhone, no one thought they could do it.

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Lamarque Ford is proud to be one of the premier dealerships in New Orleans, LA. Located in Kenner, LA, Lamarque Ford is committed to providing you the best customer service and vehicle service for the life of your vehicle. Whether you’re on the market to purchase, finance, or service a new or used Ford vehicle, you’ve come to the right place.

Last week we reviewed the prospective benefits of a driverless car future, where computers and other sensors take charge and all we do is sit back and enjoy the ride. But there are concerns over privacy issues and hackers hijacking overly-computerized cars. Today we will evaluate the risks and other concerns over autonomous cars.

Liability
It’s already complicated enough in today’s world to determine who’s at fault in an automobile accident. Not only are the drivers involved, but other factors such as mechanical malfunctions, inclement weather and so forth. Can you imagine a collision involving a self driving car? Who would be liable? The car company? The software maker? This is a serious questions that would have to be answered before this technology becomes mainstream.

Security
Today, our concerns over car security mainly refer to unintended individuals getting physical access to our vehicle. We all fear our beloved cars being stolen or broken in, and we have some security devices in place to minimize these situations. However, driverless cars continuously broadcast their locations and have sensors that communicate back and forth with other cars, servers and their users. Security researchers have already hacked into vehicles computers using the OBD port (the one used for car diagnostics) and using cellular networks.

Legality
As always, our laws are the last elements of society to catch up with technology. Because of the fast paced nature of computer innovations, early regulations may have unintended consequences that may benefit or affect future developments. As of today, only a few states allow us to test autonomous cars in open roads, and the ones that do, require a human to be ready to take control of the car, which kills the whole purpose of it.

These concerns are just scratching the surface of what might come in the near future. Unsurprisingly, we won’t know the real risks until we put these things on the roads in great numbers. By then, hopefully the laws will me more relaxed and allow this technology to propagate faster. Keep your local dealership in mind when the time comes to purchase your self driving car!

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Lamarque Ford is proud to be one of the premier dealerships in New Orleans, LA. Located in Kenner, LA, Lamarque Ford is committed to providing you the best customer service and vehicle service for the life of your vehicle. Whether you’re on the market to purchase, finance, or service a new or used Ford vehicle, you’ve come to the right place.

Is Apple Building A Car? | Lamarque Ford| New Orleans

The Case Against Self Driving Cars | Lamarque Ford | New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner