Backlash to in-car ads: "Black Mirror" style

Would you like to see ads on your infotainment system when you get into your car to go to work in the morning?

An incident at Deepal, an electric brand of Changan, one of China’s electric car manufacturers, has sparked controversy. It has also sparked discussions about how unwanted advertisements were shown to approximately 480,000 customers through the vehicles’ infotainment systems without prior permission.

Customers who started their vehicles reported seeing a 5-second promotional ad for the company's new model on their center console.

The footage went viral on social media, drawing criticism. In response to the growing criticism, Deepal was forced to apologise to vehicle owners, stating, "We will no longer be using the vehicle's infotainment system to deliver similar promotional notifications."

While remote updating of new generation vehicles provides many conveniences, it has been seen that companies can also use them to send advertisements to users.

In other words, in the near future, we may see periods where cars with advertisements and lower prices are sold, and models without advertisements and with higher prices are sold.