Tech Overdrive

India's mobility story can't be defined by 'wise' cars, but by how we wield that wisdom. We are a nation where simple 'succeeds' and 'sophisticated' struggles

- RAJEEV NARAYAN

Modern cars no longer greet you with the reassuring clunk of a door shutting; they boot up. You settle into the seat and screens flicker to life, animations begin playing and deep within the dashboard, software clears its throat. By the time you reach for the seat belt to shut the warning beep off, the car is ready to assist, correct, warn, advise and if sales brochures can be believed -save your life.

Hello auto excess, where ADAS, adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, hill descent control, 360-degree cameras, connected car tech and over-the-air updates are no longer exotic gizmos but showroom staples. What was once the preserve of luxury sedans has trickled down to family SUVs and cars that cost less than a kitchen renovation.

The generosity is not accidental. Carmakers are locked in a gadget-race where features sell faster than fundamentals. Bigger touchscreens make for a sexier photograph than a stronger chassis. A long ADAS checklist is more futuristic than better braking. And in India where buyers have evolved from fuel-efficiency obsessives to feature connoisseurs - technology has become shorthand for value.

The result is a sensory overload. Cars are not just astonishingly capable, but also oddly demanding. They beep if you drift, buzz if you approach a vehicle too quickly, flash warnings if you descend a slope too enthusiastically and admonish if your hands linger off the steering wheel for too long. Driving, it would seem, is no longer a solitary act; it is a community engagement.

Much of this tech invasion is driven by good intentions. Stricter safety norms, crash regulations and global best practices have forced carmakers to adopt electronic aids. ADAS, in particular, is sold as a guardian angel - a co-driver that watches you like a hawk for signs of fatigue, distraction you're your penchant for error (you are human, after all).