4 ms·

I think Mazda is unique among brands where they are not really pushing high tech stuff but instead focusing on the 'joy of driving' by keeping things limited an

I think Mazda is unique among brands where they are not really pushing high tech stuff but instead focusing on the 'joy of driving' by keeping things limited and traditional. I know they have some sort of 'wheel' to navigate their UX and they block certain features such as touch input while driving (at least until this new model year I think). People complain that they are too old fashioned but maybe thats a good thing. Also if someone has evidence that they do in fact collect data then I am happy to update my comment.

aidenn0 3y ago
I love Mazdas. My next car will be whatever compact electric they release that isn't a compliance car. That being said, I have no clue what their plan is with tracking. They have knobs for everything because someone sufficiently high up in the organization hates touch screens as much as I do. They aren't particularly technology averse.
- nebula8804 3y ago
  Their focus on tradition appears to be partially based on their lack of resources. They are a small company and cannot afford to invest in all the latest gizmos. So they try to focus on really getting basics right. (At least thats what I have read). Unfortunately this has also led to slow advancement in their EV efforts. I would love nothing more than an all electric Mazda 3: The first car I owned and will always have fond memories for. Instead I am forced to consider Tesla and play russian roulette with their mediocre build quality and whatever nonsense Elon comes up with (touchscreen gear shifter, stupid steering wheel etc.). I'm in the market for a new car (preferably an EV) so i've been reading up on their EV efforts. It seems like their current plan is to lower their entire fleet average to meet government requirements in the short term while partnering up with Toyota to cross develop an EV powertrain. This resulted in them dropping their pickup truck, improving avg fuel economy across the lineup with better engines and then slowly introducing hybrids and then finally convert everything to EV. That MX-30 EV was super cool and I wish they had put more effort into it but it seems like that model ended up not working. Looking forward to seeing how the new version with the small rotary range extender works!
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    I was never actually able so see an MX-30 in person; they weren't very numerous even in California
  - kenhwang 3y ago
    Mazda is in a rather unique position where they're under the care of one of the biggest and richest automakers (Toyota), while still being "independent" and "small" enough from a regulatory point of view to have a much more relaxed timeline for EV adoption. The Mazda-Toyota relationship could be described as a partnership, but it's probably more accurate to describe it as vassalship with Toyota being the largest and most influential shareholder of Mazda. Their plan seems to be to let the bigger wealthier players figure it out first, because the bigger players have to because of regulatory pressure, and in the meantime they're encouraged by Toyota to work on their passion projects.
kenhwang 3y ago
Mazda is philosophically opposed to turning the car into a computer with wheels, but don't misunderstand that for not being high tech. Mazda has some of the most sophisticated and capable vehicle management software with the beefy hardware needed to run it under the hood in the industry. They collect significantly more environmental/operational data than other manufactures because they need it for their engine and stability systems to run well. With their move upmarket, they tend to be better equipped and come standard with a lot more remote connectivity features as well; they practically know where every vehicle is and what it's doing in near real time, even if you don't pay for the subscription for them to tell you.
- nebula8804 3y ago
  Wow thats insane. Do they expose any of this data via API or something else?
  - kenhwang 3y ago
    As with any car, you can see it with an OBD-II tool. You can even drive the car with OBD-II (like with comma.ai) if you understand what signals to read and send.

aidenn0 3y ago

I love Mazdas. My next car will be whatever compact electric they release that isn't a compliance car. That being said, I have no clue what their plan is with tracking. They have knobs for everything because someone sufficiently high up in the organization hates touch screens as much as I do. They aren't particularly technology averse.

nebula8804 3y ago
Their focus on tradition appears to be partially based on their lack of resources. They are a small company and cannot afford to invest in all the latest gizmos. So they try to focus on really getting basics right. (At least thats what I have read). Unfortunately this has also led to slow advancement in their EV efforts. I would love nothing more than an all electric Mazda 3: The first car I owned and will always have fond memories for. Instead I am forced to consider Tesla and play russian roulette with their mediocre build quality and whatever nonsense Elon comes up with (touchscreen gear shifter, stupid steering wheel etc.). I'm in the market for a new car (preferably an EV) so i've been reading up on their EV efforts. It seems like their current plan is to lower their entire fleet average to meet government requirements in the short term while partnering up with Toyota to cross develop an EV powertrain. This resulted in them dropping their pickup truck, improving avg fuel economy across the lineup with better engines and then slowly introducing hybrids and then finally convert everything to EV. That MX-30 EV was super cool and I wish they had put more effort into it but it seems like that model ended up not working. Looking forward to seeing how the new version with the small rotary range extender works!
- aidenn0 3y ago
  I was never actually able so see an MX-30 in person; they weren't very numerous even in California
- kenhwang 3y ago
  Mazda is in a rather unique position where they're under the care of one of the biggest and richest automakers (Toyota), while still being "independent" and "small" enough from a regulatory point of view to have a much more relaxed timeline for EV adoption. The Mazda-Toyota relationship could be described as a partnership, but it's probably more accurate to describe it as vassalship with Toyota being the largest and most influential shareholder of Mazda. Their plan seems to be to let the bigger wealthier players figure it out first, because the bigger players have to because of regulatory pressure, and in the meantime they're encouraged by Toyota to work on their passion projects.

kenhwang 3y ago

Mazda is philosophically opposed to turning the car into a computer with wheels, but don't misunderstand that for not being high tech. Mazda has some of the most sophisticated and capable vehicle management software with the beefy hardware needed to run it under the hood in the industry. They collect significantly more environmental/operational data than other manufactures because they need it for their engine and stability systems to run well. With their move upmarket, they tend to be better equipped and come standard with a lot more remote connectivity features as well; they practically know where every vehicle is and what it's doing in near real time, even if you don't pay for the subscription for them to tell you.

nebula8804 3y ago
Wow thats insane. Do they expose any of this data via API or something else?
- kenhwang 3y ago
  As with any car, you can see it with an OBD-II tool. You can even drive the car with OBD-II (like with comma.ai) if you understand what signals to read and send.