What? $2K worth of software in the "average" vehicle

Posted Wed Sep 5 2007 11:57 AM by Kenneth Hall

There’s one performance aspect almost exclusively overlooked by new car buyers when selecting their next purchase, the electronic brains of the car or the software that runs the whole show. We’re not just talking a couple of small programs here. A study conducted by Strategy Analytics found that a vehicle contains on average almost $2,000 worth of software, close to 9% of the average showroom price tag. In cutting-edge luxobarges such as the Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-series you can expect to see a much higher cost of software (even though the cost as a percentage of the vehicle would probably be less).

Every year, carmakers pack their models with more and more electronic gizmos and each of these has a piece of software behind it. Features like adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, lane departure warning and engine and gearbox management are all driven by software. Of course, the more complicated these systems get the more chance of them developing bugs, some of which could even lead to cars not being drivable.

As for the future, experts are predicting that cars will be able to communicate with each other via a telematics infrastructure, passing on details such as traffic hotspots, accidents and even crash avoidance systems.

It would be nice to see legislation that demands better driver training and testing rather than trying to hide flaws with technology, however most nations around the world have shown their pigheadedness with anything motoring related so we're not holding our breath.

MotorAuthority