cross-posted from: https://futurology.today/post/4251786
Bringing manufacturing jobs home has been in the news lately, but it’s not the 1950s or even the 1980s anymore. Today’s factories need far less humans. Global car sales were 78,000,000 in 2024 and the global automotive workforce was 2,500,000. However, if the global workforce was as efficient as this Honda factory, it could build those cars with only 20% of that workforce.
If something can be done for 20% of the cost, that is probably the direction of travel. Bear in mind too, factories will get even more automated and efficient than today’s 2025 Honda factory.
It’s not improbable within a few years we will have 100% robot-staffed factories that need no humans at all. Who’ll have the money to buy all the cars they make is another question entirely.
Dongfeng Honda has a factory in Wuhan and their new Lingxi I’ve seen a few times. They… idk, are very digital? Like, the rear view mirror has been replaced with a rear view live camera, so if someone extremely tall is sitting in the middle back seat, you can still get a clear view of whats behind you, but having everything digital might be a double edged sword.
Also I’m sure even a 0.1ms delay on camera vs 0 for mirror will eventually cause a problem in split second decisions, but that’s not unique to Honda.
Having basic things like rearview mirrors be All Computer also makes me nervous about long term maintenance
Most modern cars arent very easy to fix DIY-style, you increasingly need more than baseline experience in electronical engineering and programming including the various car branch specific licence programms. Not very friendly for your average working class joe
Eh, it’s one of those things where if it works it’s better than a mere mirror but if it breaks it’s potentially catastrophic. The quality of the build is the important factor.
i was mildly road raging about some dipshit going 30 in a 35 on my way to work and thankfully they turned off the road and as they were turning, this motherfucker was playing anime on some shit like that
I thought it was their fucking phone but since it was where the rearview mirror would go I’m wondering if it was a digital display to begin with and they just, have fucking anime playing on it while they drive
Everything’s computer
Just takes some cold weather to make a car brick so hard you can’t even force it into neutral.
Eh, it’s China. If your car doesn’t start there’s world class public transport.
True. I guess I was too narrowed in on my Wisconsinite experience. China isn’t held together with sticks and snot like Burgerland is.
i think the only time in his life my dad took the local shitty public transit was a very cold winter a few decades ago where his gas car wouldn’t start