Bob Hegbloom points out that the average age of a pickup truck is 11 years. Many new buyers consequently are only familiar with technology that was offered in vehicles a full decade ago.
“Eleven years ago, did anyone know what a Wi-Fi hotspot was?” the executive asked, according to quotes published by Bloomberg. “There’s going to be some growing pains.”
Consumer Reports pointed to infotainment systems as a “growing reliability plague” for many automakers, though the poor ratings are blamed on poor design rather than customers that are new to such technology. The magazine also suggests that tech issues are usually not the only problem for the low-ranking brands.
“Infotainment system problems generally don’t exist in a vacuum,” said CR‘s automotive testing director, Jake Fisher. “A close look at the results suggests that cars with a lot of in-car electronic issues usually have plenty of other troubles, too.”
Despite Hegbloom’s comments, FCA made an even stronger statement when it replaced its quality head the day after four of its brands fell to the bottom of the survey rankings. Chrysler has also faced growing criticism over its alleged mishandling of recalls and resistance to acknowledging well-known defects in its vehicles.
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