Watch this empty car parking space; Self-Driving cars that repossess themselves!

Recent news from the US suggests Ford have submitted a patent to develop a self-driving car, which amongst other things will repossess itself when drivers fail to make a payment. The system that would allow future autonomous cars to drive themselves back to a showroom if the owner fails to meet the terms of their lease or loan!

Before then, the vehicle would be capable of making life increasingly unpleasant for the driver. The repossession procedure would begin with the owner being sent a warning message via their car’s entertainment system screen. The car would then be able to disable features such as its GPS navigation system, its speakers and the air conditioning. The aim being be to create a certain level of discomfort for the driver. This would also include overriding the vehicle’s in car entertainment system. One wonders on the choice of music that could be selected to ensure the vehicle was returned!

Does this spell the end for traditional investigation and vehicle repossession? It is highly unlikely in the foreseeable future with Ford commenting that it was a standard patent application to protect future opportunities with no plans in the pipeline to development such functionality.

In the meantime, you can be assured that Legate Group will continue to “deliver” for our clients by minimising losses through expeditious vehicle location investigation and recovery. If you want to read the full article “Self-Driving Ford could repossess itself if owner misses a payment”, it was published in the Times on 01/03/23.