This week, Chrysler announced that it will offer live-TV as an option, starting in December. Designed for back-seat viewers, the TV will be watchable by the driver when the car is parked.
What do you think? Is this the ultimate solution for rowdy rugrats? Will wily drivers quickly disable the lock-out, and be watching “Desperate Housewives” while they merge?
Is Chrysler’s announcement a genius marketing move for a TV-obsessed culture, or are we quickly sliding down the slippery slope of increased driver distraction?
Let us know what you think.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi
Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers
Drivers Will Definitely Figure Out How To Watch TV While Text Messaging And Eating. When Are They Going To Offer Popcorn Poppers For Viewing Feature Length Movies?
CSA
It’s yet another embarrassing marketing ploy by American auto manufacturers; instead of spending their time and money on engineering and quality-control, they continue to give us more and dumber gimmicks. The trouble is that my fellow citizens buy into such nonsense.
Plus, anything that distracts drivers is intrinsically a bad and dangerous thing.
hey Chrysler can release all the stupid gimmicks they want. Fiat is probably going to bring over the 500 though. That’s going to be a pretty good competitor to the mini.
I’ll have to be faithful to Ford though. They’re bringing back the ford fiesta from Europe Fords Ecoboost engine is awesome.
I’d offer to beat the stupid out of whoever came up with this idea, but then there’d be nothing left of him.
Idiots will be able to disable the lockout. I suspect it’ll be about as simple as disabling the neutral safety switch and driving with the parking brake on. Meanwhile, the back seats will have the TV blaring, no doubt watching Cops, distracting the drivers plenty even without the hypnotic images!
I shall have to learn what all Chryslers look like, because I’m going to have to assume the drivers will be watching TV.
It’s a slippery slope that’s been greased up extra good with Vaseline a meter thick.
We have appliances that are offering TVs in them(fridge comes to mind), internet connections and various other things that could only be conceived by someone hyped up on heroine, LSD, and acid.
Hmmmm…Nice try Chrysler.
Instead of this ridiculous plan, how about improving the reliability of your bottom-of-the-barrel cars?
May improve their sales since a lot of crashed cars will need to be replaced. If you want to watch TV stay home.
What is so good on TV that would beat playing a DVD? What I mean is we already have video in cars. Flash, its for when you need more of Fox News,wait a minute thats never.
Good grief Chrysler,enough already!-Kevin
Unbelievably stupid. Bad enough to look in the rear view mirror and see the idiot behind you jabbering away on the cell phone, but now to have the additional distraction of TV is unacceptable. Should they pursue this ridiculous path you can be sure I won’t be considering any Chrysler products for future purchase.
This is even a more stupid idea than the electoral college (at least it sorta made sense at the time).
People need more T.V. like they need more junk food.
Great! I’ll order it with my “cool and extroverted” Grand Caravan.
I was a devoted Chrysler fan for many years. I worked as a mechanic in a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership for several years and owned many of the cars and trucks.
My love for Chrysler products ended in the early 2000’s when they lost sight of their customers and their quality plummeted.
I would much rather see them make their cars attractive again by restoring quality rather than reaching for straws with gimmicks like this.