&gt; Anyone who spends a few minutes in a Tesla gets that it’s different from other cars — more a delightful digital device than a cabin pulled by belching engine — and even those who aren’t “car people” experience object-lust.<p>I think this highlights some disconnects between Silicon Valley and Detroit.<p>* Detroit hasn&#x27;t made &quot;belching&quot; engines since the 1980&#x27;s.<p>* Average car age is 11.5 years. [1] It&#x27;s pretty clear that people are OK with the user experience in their vehicles.<p>* &quot;Selling Cars&quot; is not a market prone to disruption. The cost structure is hideous. Enormous capital is required for at least 5 years before you sell anything, and after that your sales trickle in slowly.<p>* &quot;Mobility Services&quot; may be an amazing new market; we&#x27;ll see. 11.5 years means there are  a lot of old cars on the road that people may want to replace, but it also means that people are OK with those cars, and that there are a lot of people who have a minimal amount of money to spend on a new car.<p>* Upmarket vehicles <i>absolutely</i> have to differentiate themselves in a number of areas, and while UX is increasing in importance, it is a middling 5th place after Safety, Quality, Reliability, and Performance.<p>* UX is difficult in automobiles. If you get UX wrong in an app, you can update, or your app can die and people will forget about it. If you get UX wrong in a car, people will hate you for it, but still buy your cars. [2] You can&#x27;t download buttons and knobs [3] if people can&#x27;t get used to your touchscreen. [edited]<p>* UX in autos can&#x27;t be flashy or distracting, should get out of the way, be usable with 5% of the user&#x27;s attention, but it must provide enough information and feedback to be used reliably and quickly.<p>1. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usatoday.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;money&#x2F;2015&#x2F;07&#x2F;29&#x2F;new-car-sales-soaring-but-cars-getting-older-too&#x2F;30821191&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usatoday.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;money&#x2F;2015&#x2F;07&#x2F;29&#x2F;new-car-sales...</a><p>2. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;search?q=cue+sucks" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;search?q=cue+sucks</a><p>3. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.popularmechanics.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;gadgets&#x2F;a1531&#x2F;4213770&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.popularmechanics.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;gadgets&#x2F;a1531&#x2F;421...</a><p>Disclaimer - I work for GM, these opinions are solely my own.