Manufacturers go to extremes to add new features to their products. While the features are meant to increase the utility of the product, sometimes they also become its USP (unique selling proposition). The same is true for car manufacturers as well
Take the case of the 3-point seat belt. In 1959 Volvo introduced it as a trial to improve passenger safety during accidents. What started as a trial, soon became a Volvo (USP). Volvo became synonymous with safety, setting it apart in the market. Even today, Volvo is recognised globally for its commitment to safety.
However, the period from designing a new feature to customer acceptance is a long journey. Sometimes what seems a great idea at the design stage, flops in the marketplace. Also, sometimes a minor design tweak becomes a salient product feature.
In this article, I talk about a few amazing or atrocious (depending on your point of view) car features that didn’t work out or were ultimately rejected by customers.
1. Espresso Machine
Volkswagen came up with the great idea of installing Espresso Makers in their cars. In 1959, they experimented with this in the iconic Volkswagen Beetle. The dash-mounted coffee maker, known as the Hertella Auto Kaffeemaschine, was designed to brew a fresh cup of coffee on the go.
While the idea of having a fresh cuppa while driving was appealing, it turned out to be more of a distraction than a convenience. Drivers found it cumbersome and unsafe to brew coffee while driving. The feature was soon discontinued becoming a footnote in automotive history.
2. Highway Hi-Fi
The Highway Hi-Fi was launched by Chevrolet in 1956 to revolutionise in-car entertainment. It was a dashboard-mounted vinyl record player. Just a reminder that the audio cassette player was not invented by then. While innovative at that time, it quickly proved impractical.
Bumpy roads caused records to skip, and large vinyl discs were anything but portable. The feature was soon replaced by more reliable audio systems like cassette players invented in 1963 by Phillips. More about the audio cassette players in another story.
3. Push-Button Transmission
The Lincoln Premiere was launched in 1957. It featured a push-button transmission to simplify gear shifting. The push-button gear selector or the Turbo-Drive automatic transmission, was located on the dashboard. It allowed the driver to change gears just by pressing a button instead of using a traditional gear lever.
The push-button transmission was initially a novelty and it became a USP for the Lincoln Premiere, emphasizing luxury, innovation, and ease of use. However, it was discontinued in the early 1960s as it confused drivers and had multiple mechanical issues, making it unreliable.
4. Rotary Dial Radio
The rotary dial radio was first featured in the Mazda Cosmo in the 1960s. It was inspired by the rotary dial telephones. The rotary dial allowed drivers to easily and intuitively change radio frequencies, which was a significant step forward in ergonomics compared to the cumbersome button or slider systems of that era.
While it added a touch of retro charm, changing radio stations while driving required too much effort and attention, making it a safety hazard. This was replaced by more user-friendly cassette players and 2in1s.
5. Rear Fog Lamps
In the 1970s Fiat introduced rear fog lamps in the Fiat 128. The inspiration behind the rear fog lamps was to improve the visibility for the vehicles that were following the car in low visibility. While the feature had good intentions, it was often misused by drivers.
They will switch on the rear fog lamps in clear weather, causing glare and discomfort to others. Complaints from drivers and law enforcement led to the feature being discontinued in many markets.
6. Talking Cars
The 1983 Chrysler New Yorker featured a voice warning system. It could talk to drivers. It reminded the drivers about open doors and low fuel etc. The drivers found the robotic and monotone voice more irritating than helpful.
While the feature was ahead of its time, it annoyed drivers with unnecessary alerts and many drivers disabled it. Eventually bowing to the customers’ feedback, Chrysler discontinued this innovation.
7. Scented Airbags
Imagine you are driving on the highway and meet with an unfortunate accident. Safety airbags get deployed, and your old and stinky car suddenly starts smelling like a spa. Well, Ford’s scented airbags did that. The idea was to release a calming fragrance to soothe the nerves of the shaken driver and make the traumatic event less painful.
While the idea was noble, Ford’s customers were not impressed. They associated the feature with poor taste. Why mask a serious moment with an artificial scent? It didn’t take long for this feature to fade into oblivion.
8. Night Vision
To help drivers see better in the dark, Cadillac introduced night vision technology in the 2000 Cadillac DeVille. a pioneering automotive safety feature, making the DeVille the first car with this feature and a trailblazer in advanced driver-assistance systems.
The Night Vision system used a thermal imaging camera mounted in the front grille to detect heat signatures from objects like pedestrians, animals, and vehicles. The camera’s feed was displayed as a black-and-white image on the windshield display. This enabled the drivers to see better in low-light conditions. However, the feature was expensive and not very effective. It was discontinued in 2004.
9. Built-In Breathalyzer
To check drunk driving, Saab came up with the idea of fitting a Breathalyser in the car itself! They piloted the “Alcokey” in the 2007 Saab 9-5. The driver was required to blow into the built-in Breathalyzer before starting the car. The car would start only if the alcohol limit was under the permissible levels.
A noble idea to reduce accidents and promote responsible driving was labelled as intrusive and inconvenient. The Breathalyser also had its share of problems. At times, the faulty sensors would give a false positive and the car wouldn’t start even if the driver was sober. These issues led to the discontinuation of the Alcokey.
10. Openometer
If we have to talk about the most useless and bizarre feature, the ‘Openometer’ will beat the rest by miles. It was featured in the 2009 Mini Convertible. The Openometer tracked the amount of time drivers kept the top down. Yes, you read it right.
While it added a playful touch to the car’s personality, the device didn’t serve any purpose. Drivers already knew when the top was open. Well, it was hard to miss as the cold wind would be grazing their hair. After a few years, Mini quietly retired the Openometer.
Despite being innovative and thoughtful, these features couldn’t get the customers’ acceptance. This underscores the point that not all ideas irrespective of how good they are, are destined for greatness. The reasons could be many. A few of these could’ve been ahead of their time and a few too impractical to use. In the end, simplicity and practicality win the day.
I hope you enjoyed this story on the car features that didn’t quite cut. In the second part of this story, I will share a few more.
In the meantime, please let me know in the comments, which car feature you find most bizarre and atrocious. I will try to include them in the Part 2 of the story.
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PS: Copilot and ChatGPT have been used to create parts of this post.
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