Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

I can confirm that Volkswagen is borderline incompetent when it comes to software - a few months back, my 2020 Audi A4 (and those of tens to hundreds of others) all started having the same issue, where the infotainment will randomly reboot every 5-30 minutes (taking out nav, the backup camera, and the parking sensors with it, and requiring a PIN to get back into the system).

Despite the problem having the hallmarks of a backend issue (many cars with the same software running into the same issue on the same week), corporate is still insisting that it's a hardware issue and trying to sell us on $5k hardware replacements. I love the car for its build quality, but almost kind of wish I'd gotten a Tesla given how bad VW is at software.

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Of course it is. We're just told differently until a leaker proves differently. Twenty years too late to do anything about it

There could be a sort of "ARM" or "Android" but for cars.

Come up with few general hardware modules, enough to replace the head unit, body controllers, ECU, climate control, and ideally driving automation, and software to run them. Everything minus safety modules like the airbag controllers, and then license them under Fair/non-discriminatory terms.

Then, a variety of automakers get access to core functionality and cheaper hardware to run it. That means that the cars themselves can have higher quality software, cheaper hardware (from cutting out companies like Bosch that charge exorbitantly for things like a windshield wiper controller), and thus deliver more value to customers.

> Consumers have had it with clunky, slow automotive technology

No. I don't want it. I want Not to have it.

I don't want a touchscreen. I don't want a computer car. And I definitely don't want an internet-connected car.