Car manufacturing spent more on computers and electronic controllers/ monitors than on metal. Not sure when that happened though, any guesses?

 

It would depend on the price of metals and electronics over time. Since car weights have not increased nearly as fast as electronics content has, the cost crossover point was a moving target due to an average slow rise in metal commodity prices and a decreasing "price per unit" of electronics. I would just guess that for the industry as a whole, that crossover was reached sometime in the last 5 years. A commodity spike or customers buying lots more basic cars would likely change this.

 

There are a lot of good things that we achieved through technology. The ODB 2 system through a series of feedback loop sensors is one of them. VVT Technology is another great innovation especially when it was done with computers. Where we have failed is on the consumer side of the equation of wanting more useless tech that is unreliable and we have failed on the notion that we can save the earth by drastic measures and demands placed on manufactures at the expense of reliability. Commonsense approaches to purchasing cars is no longer relevant with very low interest rates in a culture of consumption where savings is no longer rewarded. Some of these cars like the newer BMWs are almost as disposable as newer television sets are. Maybe the future is headed towards the disposable car where all of the parts are recyclable or when you bring them in to service for something major you get a new one while it's under warranty and the old one gets sent back to be refurbished. Newer manufacturing techniques could probably make that happen