Vehicle ownership has always been an exciting privilege for individuals. Knowing that you have saved your hard earned cash to purchase your dream car, truck, or SUV is a very confident feeling. Well, hold on folks, because if General Motors has it their way, you can no longer OWN your vehicle. That’s right, you pay for your car, but you cannot own your Chevrolet vehicle. This goes for other General Motors brands as well.
So what does this mean? Basically, General Motors is stating that the software inside their vehicles like a Chevrolet, is proprietary and that they own that software which means that you cannot. They feel that you should have to license that software, which means, you cannot really own your vehicle. GM is making the same claims that John Deere is about copyright and software code. What does this mean to you as a consumer?
- General Motors state that cars work because software tells the parts how to operate
- The software that tells these parts how to work is customized coding
- This code is subject to copyright
- General Motors owns the copyright on that software
- A modern vehicle cannot operate without software and software is a vital part of the vehicle.
- Purchasing a car, truck, or SUV is actually a “licensing” agreement instead of an actual ownership (similar to music or software today)
- The caveat: General Motors owns your vehicle and can tell you how you can and cannot use your car, truck, or SUV.
- It can also allow/disallow access to its software (this means your private mechanic)
- You will be obligated to use an authorized GM dealership to maintenance and repair your vehicle.
Although this may or may not happen, there are some positives to using an authorized Chevrolet, or GM dealership to maintain your complex vehicle. Their facilities are state of the art and their technicians are certified to make necessary repairs on your vehicle, ensuring it is performed properly. They can also help you avoid costly repairs by inspecting your vehicle when they perform routine maintenance.
The takeaway from this is that many automotive manufacturers are starting to see their vehicles as computers versus mechanical machines as they once were and with the evolution of the automotive world, we as consumers may have to make adjustments and change our mindsets whether we like it or not. There is always going to be great improvements and unfortunately that means change for everyone.