We’ve all awaited the day when cars would be fitting with a voice device like Kitt in the Knightrider series and it looked like that was about to become a reality with the latest Mini.
That was until Mini decided that they would deprive the UK buyers from their gimmicky gadget.
The special edition Mini 50 Camden was released alongside the Mini 50 Mayfair, at the Mini United Festival at Silverstone back in May, to celebrate fifty years of motoring.
The new technology that Mini calls “Mission Control” was set to be a standard feature in the Mini 50 Camden model.
The in-car voice system has 1500 pre-recorded messages that would talk to drivers, giving them advice and quips on the move.
Some of the recordings include warning drivers when they have not used their seatbelts, giving a driver the current temperature and letting them know of their fuel level.
The Mini Mission Control is likely to say “ouch, Im not warmed up yet” if you do not give the engine time to warm up on a cold winter morning. The talking car will also encourage you to be more environmentally friendly by encouraging you to use the stop-start system when driving in heavy traffic.
It has been voiced by English speaking actors and yet looks likely only to be featured in Mini
models sold elsewhere in the world.
Mini told Autocar ““There are worries that it doesn’t fit with our brand image in the UK and might just disturb some drivers. Although there’s still a chance we could reconsider our decision,”
Its just another mini adventure - Lets just hope it has an off switch!