When the first three “Star Wars” movies hit the theaters, all the different components of the movie technology were nothing but science fiction. But as the latest chapter in the saga is coming to a theater near you, what used to look “high-tech” and “unimaginable” isn’t actually so unimaginable anymore. Self-driving technology is the latest trend to hit the driving world – but that doesn’t mean that everyone is totally on-board with buying and using it. That is why Nissan is using the “Star Wars” craze to get consumers comfortable with using technology that gives them a little less control in exchange for safety features meant to override human error.
Nissan is one of the many car makers on a mission to create an entirely autonomous automobile; what’s heading to showrooms near you now are self-driving features that were once considered mind-blowing. From emergency braking options to ProPilot Assist, many new standard features will give the car a little more involvement in the decision-making process of driving. The newest technology was shown off at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week, but you can also get a taste of the new concept cars in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The rationale behind using “Star Wars” to engage and explain self-driving technology to consumers is that people have already gotten used to or understand the concept of force fields and drones. In essence, self-driving technology is just an extension of things that people have already come to terms with, and Nissan’s hope is that car buyers will not just accept the technology – but embrace it.
The ProPilot Assist, which has been installed in the 2018 Nissan Rogue and the forthcoming Nissan Leaf, is just one of the new options Nissan is using to change the automotive world. The closest thing on the market to self-driving, the path is clear to have a fully self-driving car by 2022, with the likes of Renault, Mitsubishi, and Infiniti following on Nissan’s heels – if not ahead of them.
The heads of Nissan’s marketing department met to decide how best to describe and make self-driving technology understandable to the average car owner, and the first thing that came to mind was “Star Wars.” Hitting Nissan car dealers in Surrey and across the country will be the concept cars that came straight out of the newly-released movie. Not just focusing on the coolness and relatability factor, the cars are meant to give everyone a view of what the future of Nissan and the automotive world is moving towards.
Although it’s an excellent option, not everyone is totally okay with self-driving features. While self-driving attempts to do away with human error, current statistics indicate that a car equipped with self-driving technology is about four times more likely to be in an accident. Most of the reason for that is that even though cars have self-driving technology to help, the human brain often works against it and tries to control the car. If you don’t allow the technology to work as it is supposed to, all sorts of things can go wrong. That is why Nissan is pushing to make people more comfortable with the notion of self-driving cars, so that when they are ready for release, people will already like the idea and be ready to relinquish control to an automobile. Consumers also have to learn to give in to the technology available today so that there isn’t a fight between the human decision-making process and the program that guides the car.
Most people who are old enough to buy cars have grown up with “Star Wars.” Seeing Han Solo riding around in a self-driving vehicle was okay on screen, but to let go of control and allow a car to make decisions in real life is a totally different story. That is why Nissan and Applewood Kia Surrey dealerships are trying to bring the future into the here and now by using “Star Wars” as a way to get the consumer used to what is to come. In just four short years, no one will have to sit behind the wheel of a car. Whether the public will be ready to lose that type of control or not depends on how well they understand how it works.
