Is it a car or a computer? - Provocation 01 - Koto|10|2026

Whether Henry [Ford] actually said the ‘faster horses’ [horse] line or not: we are at a similarly pivotal moment in the history of how we get around on [wheels] four wheels. Ford took us from horse to horsepower. [engine] Today, the question is different: Are people [telescope] looking for a new car, [car] or simply a better way to move [questionicon]

In the US and China, the top purchase driver for Electric vehicles is access to advanced tech/features.

What Car Buyers Want: A Global Guide for Automotive OEMs

Cars are becoming software on wheels: increasingly digitised, connected and automated. In many ways, they now have more in common with consumer tech than your parents’ stick-shift from the 80s.

So far, much of the cut-through has come from brands pioneering a new automotive playbook. Tesla is the obvious first mover, with its screen-first ‘wow’ moment still category-defining. Polestar followed with a more minimal, Apple-esque approach, backed by Volvo know-how. Both are tech-first, right down to the micro-interactions that give the experience character.

They are, arguably, more COMPUTER than CAR.

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