Staff are the moral fibre of any dealership
When the moral fibre of your staff is in the right place, you are on the road to success, no matter what kind of business you are in.
- Dealer News
- 10 July 2025
The US Patent Office last week published an application for a patent by Ford innocuously titled “Systems and Methods to Repossess a Vehicle”, which comes straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie.
The application entails systems in terms of which vehicles, for all practical purposes, would be able to repossess themselves should their owners renege on payments.
According to the document, vehicles’ built-in data connections could be used to disable “a functionality of one or more components of the vehicle” in case of missed payments. This could take different forms from deactivating features like “cruise control, automated window controls, automated seat controls and some components of the infotainment system (radio Global Positioning System (GPS), MP3 player, etc)” to functions such as “the air-conditioning system, a remote key fob and an automated door lock/unlock system” and other incessant irritating warnings.
The most disconcerting feature of the system though, in the case of self-autonomous vehicles, is that with Ford's system, your car could drive itself away to a different location without even informing you.
It is unclear whether Ford is planning to follow through on the patents since it is currently not actively pursuing self-drive technology.
Other auto manufacturers already feature similar technology in their vehicles.
When the moral fibre of your staff is in the right place, you are on the road to success, no matter what kind of business you are in.
Opel has revealed the next-generation Grandland in South Africa, joining the current Opel range consisting of the Corsa, Mokka and Zafira.
There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is transforming the way we operate - from backend systems to customer-facing solutions.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is transforming the way we operate - from backend systems to customer-facing solutions.
Never underestimate the power of social media, especially when you go car hunting.
In the wake of the devastating floods in the Eastern Cape, Mercedes-Benz SA has partnered with Gift of the Givers to deliver urgent aid to flood-affected communities in Butterworth and Mthatha.