The Car That Watches You Back: The Advertising Infrastructure of Modern Cars
Modern cars have evolved from personal property into data-driven advertising platforms, as demonstrated by a 2025 incident where a Jeep displayed a mandatory startup ad from its manufacturer. This shift has been enabled by decades of technological changes, including the integration of touchscreens, cellular connectivity, and software-centric vehicle design. Automakers now maintain control over in-car experiences, using them to push promotions and collect user data, even in vehicles that are fully owned by customers.
- ▪In November 2025, journalist Zerin Dube shared a photo of a 15-second advertisement that appeared on his Jeep Grand Cherokee's startup screen.
- ▪The ad was delivered by Stellantis over the car's cellular connection and could only be permanently disabled by calling customer service during business hours.
- ▪The transformation of cars into digital platforms began with early touchscreens in the 1980s and accelerated with Tesla's 2012 Model S, which centralized controls on a large touchscreen.
- ▪Automakers now treat vehicle infotainment systems as monetizable platforms, capable of delivering targeted ads and collecting driver data.
- ▪Safety researchers have warned that touchscreen-heavy interfaces increase driver distraction, but consumer demand has continued to favor large digital displays.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
[Ad] There’s an Ad May 4, 2026 By The Telematics Desk Nobody Asked For The Car That Watches You Back The automobile spent a century as a machine you owned. Somewhere between the touchscreen and the cellular modem, that changed. On the morning of November 24, 2025, automotive journalist Zerin Dube opened the door of his Jeep Grand Cherokee, settled into the driver’s seat, and pressed the start button. The dashboard came up. The infotainment screen ran its boot animation, blinked to the home view, and then loaded an advertisement on top of the home view. Not a service reminder, not a recall notice.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Nobody Asked for This.
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