Public Consensus PredictionTM
Initiated by: J.E.

Connected cars, disconnected repair shops?

(Predicting changing relationships between manufacturers, dealer service, and independents.)
Public verdict: Manufacturers will support independents, but associated costs of required systems and training will limit access to larger independents, weeding out owner/operators and other small shops.
107 jurors voted to form this verdict and were awarded 2,140 RHU. Check your balance to see if you qualified. Log in
Case description
Connecting car and truck computer systems to the internet—predicted to include a fifth of all vehicles globally by 2020—will transfer service monitoring and repair diagnosis to manufacturers. Dealerships with established manufacturer relationships will benefit. At issue is whether independents (currently two thirds of the U.S. parts and service market), will be included or excluded from access to the necessary data and training to service the new vehicles.
291 total voters
How the public voted
Verdict
107 votes
"Manufacturers will support independents, but associated costs of required systems and training will limit access to larger independents, weeding out owner/operators and other small shops."
86 votes
"Manufacturers will support dealer service operations but impose barriers to data access and training by independents."
71 votes
"Manufacturers will support independents by allowing access to data and training."
27 votes
"The independent repair shop, as we know it, will disappear."
See who voted: 1 jury categories.View more

What happens next

Disputing parties will be invited to resolve the matter based on this public verdict. If the parties have agreed beforehand to use the results to arbitrate the case the verdict will be binding. If not, the results are nonbinding but can be used as input to guide further negotiation. Depending on the case, results may be distributed to other interested parties such as regulators and media.