A person on Nextdoor lost her car keys when she drove off having left them on the roof of her car. I didn’t know one could drive a car without the keys. Now I do. It seems like a good feature: a car that won’t start without the keys inside. I have it on my ‘87 pickup - no extra charge.
They are called a proximity key (or smart key)… I have to be almost inside my truck before it will start, well the key does…
The older smart keys, if the key was close enough hanging on the wall in the kitchen or whatever to the vehicle in the garage, you could start the vehicle and drive off without the key no problem, but once you turned it off, it would not restart until the smart key was close enough for you to restart it again…
That problem was solved by making the key have to be within x amount of distance or inside the vehicle in order to start it…
From my owners manual (page 132)
When locking or unlocking the
doors
The system can be operated
when the electronic key is within
about 2.3 ft. (0.7 m) either of the
outside front door handles. (Only
the door detecting the key can be
operated.)
When starting the engine or changing engine switch modes
The system can be operated when the electronic key is inside the
vehicle…
Now I can manually push the buttons on the smart key to lock/unlock the doors from a distance, but using the proximity feature, meaning leaving the smart key in my pocket and not touching it, if the doors were already locked, the interior lights turn on when I am within 2.3 ft from the door and I simple grab/touch the front door handle and the door or doors unlock depending on settings and once the vehicle knows the key is inside the vehicle it will start, so if I have the key in my right pocket, I can open the door and put my foot on the brake and start the vehicle, but if in my left pocket, I have to at least sit on the edge of the seat (key inside vehicle) to start it, I normally start the vehicle then load the dogs in the back before climbing into the seat to drive away… I can set the doors to unlock only one or all 4 with touching the door handle, same with the fob, set it for one click to open one door (drivers) or to open all 4 at once, depending on your area and safety, push twice to open all 4 if set to open one…
The same type of person that would drive off with the keys on the top of their vehicle, are probably the same ones that drive off from getting gas leaving the gas cap off and gas door wide open…
As far as a new feature, that depends on new to the beginning of vehicles, or new as in the last few years… But IIRC it started back in the late 90’s with the M Benz, then by the 2000’s it was being used in higher end vehicles, and then stuff like the Prius and Altima’s and whatnot, and the last 15 years or so, it has been pretty common place…