Driving change in the industry
How ingrained thoughts and preferences affect customers in the automotive world
Everyone has unconscious biases — instinctual shortcuts that help us navigate the massive amount of information our brain is constantly processing. These shortcuts are often helpful, but sometimes rely on stereotypes that can create problems.
And this filters all the way down into our policies, products, processes and services.
In the automotive industry, this unconscious bias can be found throughout the life cycle of a vehicle; from product design, to sales and marketing, to the customer experience at the dealership.
Bias in product design
A major reason why bias remains is because product design often begins by using a normative default, said Dr. Sarah Saska, CEO of Feminuity, a global consulting firm working with companies to embed diversity and inclusion into their cultures. In the case of car crash safety testing, for example, crash test dummies rely on the normative default of a non-disabled, 180pound male body.
Volvo’s Equal Vehicles for All initiative, based on 40 years of research, has found that most automakers still produce cars based on data from male crash test dummies.
“Anybody that deviates from that norm is just simply less safe,” Saska said.
Using crash test dummies of different sizes and abilities is a start. Automakers could also engage a more diverse set of stakeholders in the product development process, she said, from ideation and design to testing and marketing.
Auto-braking systems, for example, are designed to recognize ablebodied pedestrians, not people in wheelchairs. Developers of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles typically use able-bodied pedestrian models in their designs. And as self-driving cars become more prevalent, biases in data can be carried over into AI algorithms. This is already happening. “Some of the cameras aren’t able to pick up on racialized skin tones,” said Saska, “so it is simply more dangerous for racialized people on the streets with self-driving cars.”
Bias in marketing and advertising
The automotive advertising space tends to be more progressive, said Saska, in part because there’s so much data that indicates women control household spending. In response, automakers have diversified their advertising, especially as it relates to gender and, to some extent, race.
But there’s still much that could be done. Saska has friends living with disabilities who have had vehicles modified for their use, “but we’ve yet to really see meaningful advertisements or commercials showing how you can purchase a vehicle and then have it modified for different types of abilities.”
Every week, we take your questions about what is going on under the hood of your vehicle and pose them to a knowledgeable mechanic in the Greater Toronto Area. In today’s column, we discuss battery lights and problems with electric windows.
Dear Ask a Mechanic,
I drive a 2006 Honda. When I idle my car, the battery light comes on and the car turns off. I wait 10 seconds and I can turn the engine back on again and drive. After getting the battery and alternator examined, there were no faults. What do you think the issue is and what can my next steps be? — Feeling confused
Andrew Le, co-owner of Toronto’s 1 Four 0 Nine Inc., said this sounds like a problem with the alternator. “If the battery light is on while the car is running, that usually points to the alternator.” You need to get the vehicle examined again and get a full scan. Le doesn’t believe idling the engine is causing the issue itself. “When the car idles and the alternator is working properly, it’ll charge the battery. If the alternator is not charging, it’s relying on the battery and you’re overworking the battery.” Given the vehicle restarts on its own after 10 seconds, the battery likely isn’t the problem in this situation.
Dear Ask a Mechanic,
I own a 2008 Nissan Titan. I am having issues with the passenger side electric window. When I push the switch up and down it does not work. The driver side switch can’t close or open the window either. What do you think the problem is and how can I get it fixed? —Window problems
Le explained a motor is located on each window, which allows it to go up and down. Based on experience, it seems like the motor for your passenger side needs to be replaced. Le suggests bringing the vehicle to a mechanic. If the motor is deemed to be fine there could be an issue with the wiring — or a faulty switch — causing the problem. Ask a Mechanic is written by Nida Zafar, a reporter at The Pointer who grew up in a house full of mechanics in Scarborough, and occasionally poses your questions to her dad or brother. You can send your questions to wheels@thestar.ca. These answers are for informational purposes only. Please consult a certified mechanic before having any work done to your vehicle.