We’ve got smartphones, smartwatches and smart homes, and now it appears that smart cars are on the rise too.
While you might not think your whip’s too technically advanced, it’s probably capable of a whole lot more than you realised as BMW just demonstrated.
Late last week, police in Seattle, USA, contacted the German car maker in a bid to help apprehend a thief who’d pinched someone’s beemer.
What did the car giant do? Well, they tracked and then remotely locked the vehicle, trapping the thief inside while he slept in the car. Seriously.
Related: What is the Apple Car?
The car, a BMW 550I, was nicked on Sunday morning when the opportunistic crook spotted it still had the key fob inside.
After the vehicle was reported stolen, police, with the help of BMW corporate, managed to track down the car, which turned out had the driver hunched up asleep inside.
As police approached, BMW were able to remotely lock the vehicle, trapping the car jacker inside and foiling his escape plan.
Having been arrested on car theft and drug possession, the thief, we assume, probably now has a solid fear of the robot uprising too.
WATCH: Death by Driverless Car – Who’s at fault?
Should manufacturers have this control over your car? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.