The Forgotten Purpose of Vehicle Ownership Putting humanity back in the spotlight

Cars have changed the way we travel, live, and communicate. Since their inception, automobiles have connected people all over the world and changed the very concept of transportation. Today, almost everyone owns or has owned a car at some point and the amount of infrastructure, politics, education, and protocol that surrounds the automobile industry is truly remarkable. However, it is the time for change. As we have increasingly advanced our policies, vehicles, and manufacturing processes, we have forgotten the most essential piece of what a car is meant to do to serve the humans for whom the vehicles are made. Our rapid advancement has blinded us to the true purpose of vehicles; to serve the people who own them and to improve the lives of every person in the world. It is time to bring the spotlight back to the part of the car that really matters.

Its time to change the world.

The Fallen Ethos of Automobile Manufacturers

General Motors, the leader in vehicle sales globally for 77 consecutive years and the largest automaker in America, states the following:

The new General Motors has one clear vision: to design, build and sell the worlds best vehicles. A key priority is to sharpen our focus on engaging our

customers. Thats critical to ensuring that we have the right features and technologies in our vehicles to win in a competitive marketplace.

Lets take a quick trip to yet another continent to examine the vision of Japanese automakers:

Nissan provides unique and innovative automotive products and service that deliver superior measurable values to all stakeholders in alliance with

Renault. Nissan Motor company,8th largest automaker in the world

Maintaining a global viewpoint, we are dedicated to supplying products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price for worldwide customer

satisfaction. Our success in the global marketplace is the result of our continued investment in America's future. Honda Motor Co, 5th largest

automaker in the world

"To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America. To be the most successful and respected car company in America." Toyota Motor

Corporation, the largest automaker in the world

Finally, to round out our analysis, let us examine the leaders of the European Automobile industry:

At Volkswagen it is our mission to build long term strategic partnerships with our customers. To assist them in making the right choices for their

business needs, by minimizing fleet costs and providing world class customer service. Volkswagen Group, 2nd largest automaker in the world

To be profitable and to enhance long-term value in times of change in keeping with our strategys four pillars: Growth, Shaping the Future,

Profitability and Access to Technologies and Customers. BMW Group, 4th largest automaker in the world

The Global Consensus Spanning three continents, six diverse and enormous corporations, and encompassing a large chunk of total human resources, the quotes above point to one astoundingly similar and Global viewpoint on automobiles; they have become an influential economic tool rather than a valuable servant to humanity. The ideals of making money and gaining influence are clear from their statements: the worlds best vehicles, win in a competitive marketplace, superior measurable values to all stakeholders, continued investment, to be the most successful and respected car company, minimizing fleet costs, to be profitable and to enhance long-term value, and Profitability.

Who has taken lead in bringing back the focus on the consumer, providing a valuable service to humanity, connecting individuals around the world, and easing the way of life for as many people as possible? Was this not the purpose for which automobiles were created? Today, the worlds largest companies have failed to utilize this incredible technology to the proper ends for which it was created and have instead subjugated it under the corrupt and greed-filled values of economic control, political influence, and competition for power.

History has warned us again and again of the now evident flood of dissipation surrounding the true purpose of technology as seen in the wise words of Jacque Fresco:

Today we have access to highly advanced technologies. But our social and economic system has not kept up with our technological capabilities that could easily create a

world of abundance, free of servitude and debt.

This message of taking heed to social advancement and keeping our sights focused on humanity reverberate yet again in the words of the famed democratic socialist Michael Harrington and Korean-American artist Nam June Paik:

If there is technological advance without social advance, there is, almost automatically, an increase in human misery. Michael Harrington

You cannot deny that high-tech is progress. We need it for jobs. Yet if you make only high-tech, you make war. So we must have a strong human element to keep modesty

and natural life. Nam June Paik

We must be vigilant in not allowing our technological progress to interfere with the essence of our human purpose for unity and compassion; a purpose that seems to have been skewed in the current state of automaker mentality and motivation. Keeping this in mind, let us set out to change the world of Vehicle Ownership and bring humanity back into the spotlight, always remembering the words of the great Robert F. Kennedy

The Purpose of Life is to contribute in some way to making things better.

My Car. My Story. My Life. A New Chapter in Vehicle Ownership

Chapter One: The Beginning The quality of the first steps in purchasing your new vehicle dictate just how well your entire life with the vehicle will go. The goal of the future vehicle ownership experience is to change the way consumers feel when they walk into a showroom. The process of getting a loan, looking around for a vehicle, and selecting one that is right for you should be an enjoyable experience. Showroom salesmen should act as trusted and compassionate guides making the process of purchasing a vehicle as smooth as possible for the consumer. A dealership, which is best suited to treat all the major obstacles during the purchase of a new vehicle, would effectively communicate with manufacturers and financial institutions to make the initial purchase of a vehicle an efficient and worry-free process from start to finish. Buying a new vehicle should be one of the best experiences in life; an adoption of a new member into your family for years to come. By encompassing the entire experience in empathy and hospitality towards the consumer, the purchase of a new car can be one the most looked forward to experiences in life.

The Old: Acquisition of a loan requires visiting a variety of banks

until you find one that will provide you with one - often driving up interest rates for those with less than perfect credit

A sudden increase in insurance premium due to the purchase of a new car introduces a new and burdensome financial toll on a new buyer

Instant and aggressive depreciation in cars value as

soon as it is driven off the lot may seem to matter only on paper, but in the occasion of totaling a car a short time after purchase, the consumer may be responsible for the difference between loan value and street value

Dealers often use sneaky tactics and lack of consumer

knowledge to their advantage in making as much profit as possible on each car purchase

Dealers may try to push a certain vehicle on a consumer

that would not actually be the best to serve the needs of the customer

Car financing terminology is sometimes not within the

common knowledge base of a consumer and thus the buying process is often complicated and sometimes even daunting to a novice car buyer

The New: Dealerships would partner with financial institutions to

offer competitively priced car loans right at the dealership less trips for the consumer to make and better interest rates for the car buyer

Hospitality Premium Coverage offered by dealerships on the purchase of new vehicles would cover the increase in insurance premium cost for the first year

Gap Insurance coverage provided at a competitive rate

directly from the dealer removes the burden of depreciation where it really matters and gives the consumer peace of mind in the rare case of a collision right after their purchase

Rewriting the reputation of car salesmen as empathetic

and compassionate servants of the people, committed to making the experience of buying a car a great one

Advanced car selection surveys offered at dealership to

narrow down which vehicle would fit the consumer best based on their specific needs

Dealerships would offer a quick crash course in car

financing educates the consumers with the knowledge they need to understand and take charge of their car buying experience and negotiations

Chapter Two: The Love Story Ones life with a vehicle after they have driven it off the lot should be akin to a great love story one that is full of joyous adventures with your new vehicle. For the most part, after the vehicle is purchased, the dealer-consumer relationship is all but severed and the consumer loses the most influential source of guidance in the maintenance of their new vehicle. This relationship ought not only to be upkept but also to flourish throughout the life of ownership. The dealer should provide invaluable guidance and support to a consumer throughout the entire life of the vehicle. This newly strengthened system of support not only gives a consumer confidence and peace of mind during the early stages of owning their new vehicle but also gives them an unwavering source of guidance and expertise should they ever need it during their life with the vehicle.

The Old: Consumers often ignore maintenance in the first few

years of owning a new car, cutting corners and bringing bad car karma can lead to more issues later on

Carmakers full coverage warranty usually lasts only the first 100,000 miles, after that, the burden becomes entirely the consumers to fix their vehicle

After 3 years of car ownership, the warranty on most

vehicles expires despite the car buyer still making loan payments most dont think about saving up for repairs when they still have a loan payment in their expense list

The Dealer-consumer relationship almost disintegrates

during this period unless there is some need for repair the dealer doesnt want to see you unless you have your wallet out or something goes wrong with the car

For about 5 years the car never actually belongs to the

buyer, it is still the banks until the loan has been paid off prevents consumer from fully feeling like the car is their own and makes them worry more about their loan payments than enjoying the new member of their family

After the long and expensive process of making car

payments, the consumer is fed up with sinking money into something which serves a purely utilitarian value keeps the car to consumer relationship from ever flourishing and causes the consumer to lose interest in maintaining and repairing their vehicle

After the car is finally owned, many stop actively

maintaining it and the vehicles value and safety as a personal transportation machine quickly fades away

The New: Dealers would actively advise buyers on proper car

maintenance during the first few years of ownership setting them up for life-long success with their vehicle

Automakers create new plans of warranty coverage that would cover new vehicles for an even longer period of time, increasing consumer confidence in vehicle brand

Dealers would offer Gap Warranties that would cover

the car for the life of the loan rather than a certain number of miles gives consumer less financial burdens while still making costly car payments

Dealers will maintain relationships with the buyer and

not just their wallets by checking up on them and offering guidance concerning issues maintains a relationship based on guidance and not just money

New ideology for car financing would allow owners to

OWN their car immediately off the lot, making their payments to the dealer (who initially covers the loan) allows consumers to strengthen their relationship with the dealer even further rather than with the bank

By removing the laborious procedure of bank loans

from the car buying experience, consumers can enjoy owning their car rather than just seeing it as an expensive form of transportation the consumer to bank relationship can instead be put into forming a strong relationship with the dealer

Continual relationships with the dealer and their own

vehicle will keep the consumer diligent in maintaining their vehicle making the entire process of owning a car more enjoyable, longer lasting, and even safer

Most Improved Award:

Chapter Three: The Crises Vehicle repairs are the worst. When damage is done to a vehicle, it brings not only a great amount of anxiety to the consumer but also a great amount of inconvenience and time-consuming processes that need to be undertaken; this is where the My Car. My Story. My Life. Program can really change the world. New Vehicles would be equipped with the My SOS button a one-click button right in the car that alerts the dealer to damage on the vehicle. Initiating the My SOS button starts a new and efficient process for getting your vehicle repaired. First, the dealer would deploy a representative to come pick you up with a new rental vehicle that will be given to you free of charge for the duration of the repair. Second, the dealer would come and pick up your damaged vehicle to bring in to the dealers own well-equipped repair shop. Third, a speedy and efficient repair will take place by the dealers own repair shop to the best possible quality standards and at the lowest, fair price possible. Finally, the vehicle would be returned right to your driveway and the rental vehicle picked up. This new system all but eliminates the inconvenience, hassle, worry, and time-consuming shopping around that accompanies a repair; removing an enormous burden from the consumer and providing total peace of mind in the case of damage or collision. My SOS will change the way we see collision and car repair services and make the lives of every car owner alive just that little-bit easier.

The Old: Damage to your vehicle is a dreaded and complex series

of figuring out whats wrong, shopping around for estimates, and finding time to bring it in for the repair

Scheduled maintenance codes on cars are often in a proprietary code that the consumer cannot understand then when brought in, the dealer tries to force extra repairs on the consumer that may not be needed

Getting in an accident means compromising your ability

to transport yourself for a period of time insurance provided rental vehicles are often expensive and complicated to get set up with

The dealer-consumer relationship is often solely built

upon these troublesome instances where a consumer is faced with a costly repair often the dealer doesnt even see the customer again unless something goes wrong with the car

Shopping around for estimates is often time consuming

and leads to getting a subpar repair on the vehicle instead of bringing it in to the dealer for the proper repair, often due to the dealers price being much higher than your local body shop this can lead to incomplete repairs and hazardous conditions for the consumer

The New: Dealers would offer comprehensive and compassionate

systems for servicing vehicles while providing quality repairs makes sure the burden is off the consumer

Transparency in servicing service codes would be properly explained to the consumer and dealership repair shops would not nickel and dime consumers for as many repairs as possible but for what is truly needed

Dealers would provide complimentary rental vehicles in

the case of an accident prevents disruption of consumers ability to transport themselves while their car is being repaired and simplifies the whole process

Continual dealer-consumer relations would lessen the

amount of dread consumers feel when a repair is needed this would make consumers more likely to go straight to the dealership for their repair rather than trying to avoid their inflated prices at a cheap body shop

Dealerships would provide honest and fair pricing for

repairs to encourage repairs right at the dealers own repair shop this would guarantee repairs are done with the best quality and not only extend the life of the vehicle but increase its safety as well.

Chapter Four: The Denouement The car love story comes to an end. Towards the end of the cars life the dealer, if not already, has usually totally lost contact with the consumer. However, the futures strengthened dealer-consumer relationship brings in an indispensible interaction at these final stages. Selling your old car and simultaneously choosing a new vehicle has never been easier. With your dealers help, a consumer can easily transition from old car to new without any hassle and with the confidence that they are both getting the best vehicle for their needs and that their old vehicle is perfectly suited for the needs of the next owner. By completing and facilitating the cycle of ownership from old owner to new owner, a dealership does what it does best and truly helps to ease the life of consumers and put everyone in the vehicle that is best suited to their specific needs.

The Old: The severed dealer-consumer relationship leads to

buyers being left completely on their own, even more so towards the end of a vehicles life - the time when consumers need the most support in maintaining their vehicle

Trying to sell a used vehicle is a much more difficult feat for a consumer than it is for a dealer beyond this, the consumer has no way of properly assessing the safety and viability of their old car to price it properly and sell it to the correct person

Beginning to look for a new vehicle all over again is

often a time-consuming task; one that is made ever more difficult by a consumers simultaneous focus on trying to sell their old vehicle

The New: Strengthened dealer-consumer relations would provide

consumers with invaluable guidance towards the end of a vehicles life and keep both the consumer confident and maintain the quality and safety of the vehicle until the last day its driven

Dealers are best poised to sell vehicles and could communicate with consumers at the end of their cars life in order to both properly assess the cars value and to pass the car along to a fitting used car buyer; providing a seamless transition from old buyer to new

While working to sell the consumers old vehicle to

another fitting buyer, the dealer would help to put the old customer in a new vehicle based on feedback from their experience with the old providing the consumer with a smooth transition to a new vehicle