There was a time when keeping a car for 10 or 15 years was mostly a mechanical proposition.
Change the oil.
Replace the clutch.
Rebuild the suspension.
Install a new battery.
Keep rust under control.
And if the engine, gearbox and body remained healthy, the car could continue serving its owner for years.
That equation is changing.
A modern ₹15–25 lakh Indian car can now carry radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, digital instrument clusters, 360-degree camera systems, internet-connected telematics, voice assistants, cloud accounts, navigation databases, smartphone apps, over-the-air software, driver-assistance systems and infotainment screens larger than some tablets.
Increasingly, the vehicle is not simply mechanical hardware with electronics added to it.
It is becoming a networked computing platform that happens to have wheels.
And that creates a surprisingly important ownership question that barely appears in brochures:
If the engine can last 15 years, will the software still be supported for 15 years?
That question is becoming more urgent as connected and software-heavy cars move rapidly into India's mass market.
The software-defined car is no longer a luxury-car idea
Features that would have sounded exotic only a few years ago are now appearing in mainstream Indian SUVs.
Adaptive cruise control.
Lane-keeping assistance.
Automatic emergency braking.
Blind-spot cameras.
Remote engine start.
Remote climate control.
Live vehicle tracking.
Online navigation.
Digital keys.
Connected-car apps.
Remote diagnostics.
Voice-controlled functions.
Over-the-air updates.
These are no longer limited to ₹80-lakh German luxury cars.
They are steadily moving into vehicles around the ₹20-lakh mark and, in several cases, below it.
Market data reflects the shift. CyberMedia Research reported that ADAS adoption in India rose 49% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, with Level 2 systems accounting for 91% of ADAS-equipped models. Digital-cockpit penetration climbed from 29% to 39% over the same period, while connected EVs grew sharply.
The direction is unmistakable.
Indian consumers increasingly expect their cars to behave like smartphones.
Deloitte's 2026 automotive study found that 95% of Indian respondents were willing to pay for software-defined vehicle capabilities, especially functions involving safety, security and continuous vehicle-health monitoring. Half of respondents identified in-vehicle technology as an important purchase consideration.
That enthusiasm is understandable.
The technology can be genuinely useful.
But smartphones are normally replaced every few years.
Cars are not.
A ₹20-lakh purchase and a five-year software mentality do not fit comfortably together
India has a particularly interesting ownership culture.
A new car may stay with its first owner for eight or ten years.
It may then move into the used-car market and remain on the road significantly longer.
A mechanically dependable car can easily have a life extending well beyond the period in which its original technology seems modern.
That creates a mismatch.
Traditional automotive engineering thinks in decades.
Consumer electronics frequently thinks in product cycles.
The modern connected car contains both.
A mechanical door handle can keep working almost indefinitely with simple repairs.
A remote-unlock feature depends on:
the car's modem,
the embedded SIM,
a mobile network,
the manufacturer's servers,
an authentication platform,
the smartphone app,
the phone's operating system,
digital certificates,
and the automaker continuing to operate the service.
If any part disappears, the hardware sitting inside the car may still be perfectly functional — yet the feature can stop working.
That is the new form of automotive ageing.
Hyundai already gives us a glimpse of the model
Consider Hyundai Bluelink.
Hyundai says more than 800,000 connected Hyundai cars are already on Indian roads, and connected-vehicle penetration in its portfolio reached 20% in 2026. The company aims to cross one million cumulative connected-car sales by 2027.
Bluelink can provide dozens of functions including remote vehicle control, crash notification, vehicle health information, trip records and connected services.
But the service is not necessarily permanent simply because the car was purchased.
Hyundai's current Indian terms provide three years of complimentary Bluelink service, after which customers can renew through paid one-, two- or three-year plans.
That is not inherently unreasonable. Maintaining cellular connections, cloud servers, cybersecurity infrastructure and customer support costs money.
But it changes the nature of car ownership.
A feature demonstrated during the sales process may technically consist of two different things:
the physical hardware you own,
and the digital service you continue receiving.
Those are not the same asset.
The car may belong to you. The cloud service behind part of the car may not.
That distinction will matter more every year.
OTA sounds convenient — because it is
Over-the-air software updates are one of the most important advances in modern vehicles.
Instead of taking a car to a workshop simply to update navigation software or correct certain software problems, manufacturers can transmit updates remotely.
Hyundai's current OTA system, for example, can download compatible updates automatically and ask the driver when to install them. Hyundai notes that during installation the vehicle may be unavailable for driving, charging or remote functions.
Kia similarly provides OTA capability on compatible models, including updates to infotainment, maps and certain controllers. Its system downloads updates through the vehicle's connectivity hardware and installs them after user approval.
That offers obvious advantages.
Security vulnerabilities can be patched.
Software bugs can be corrected.
Navigation databases can be refreshed.
Functions can improve after delivery.
In some architectures, manufacturers can even modify how major vehicle systems behave without replacing physical components.
The car can genuinely become better after you buy it.
But OTA creates another question:
For how long?
“Supports OTA” is not the same as “will receive updates for 10 years”
This is where automotive marketing and long-term ownership can diverge.
A brochure may advertise OTA updates.
That tells a buyer the vehicle can receive software remotely.
It does not necessarily tell the buyer:
how many years updates will be produced,
how many years cybersecurity patches are guaranteed,
whether maps will still be supported,
whether the cellular modem will remain compatible,
whether the mobile application will still support that generation,
whether cloud servers will continue servicing the vehicle,
or what happens after the model is discontinued.
Those questions matter because software support is not infinitely cheap.
Each older vehicle platform that remains online creates engineering obligations.
The manufacturer may need to maintain old source-code branches.
It may need to test new cybersecurity fixes against obsolete hardware.
Server APIs must remain compatible.
Digital certificates must be maintained.
Mobile apps must continue speaking to old cars.
Telecom dependencies must remain operational.
Eventually, the economics become difficult.
The industry has solved this problem for smartphones by ending software support.
Doing the same thing to a car is more complicated.
A five-year-old phone becoming obsolete is annoying.
A ten-year-old vehicle losing parts of its safety, connectivity or diagnostic ecosystem is a different matter.
Some functions can age gracefully. Others cannot.
Not every digital feature creates the same long-term risk.
If Spotify disappears from a car's infotainment system after ten years, the inconvenience is modest.
If built-in navigation stops receiving maps, a driver can probably use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
If a proprietary voice assistant becomes obsolete, the car still moves.
But other software sits much closer to safety-critical systems.
ADAS is a good example.
A Level 2 system may rely on cameras, radar sensors, electronic braking, steering control and complex software models.
Automatic emergency braking must correctly interpret traffic.
Lane-centering must understand road markings.
Adaptive cruise control needs reliable perception of surrounding vehicles.
These are not entertainment features.
And Indian roads present unusually complex operating conditions: lane markings can disappear, motorcycles can filter through traffic, animals can enter roads, temporary diversions can appear without warning and vehicles frequently behave differently from the structured traffic environments in which many driver-assistance systems were originally developed.
Manufacturers continue refining these systems.
The question is what happens to the first generation after a decade.
Cars now contain astonishing amounts of code
The phrase “computer on wheels” can sound like marketing exaggeration.
It is increasingly literal.
UNECE has noted that modern vehicles can contain up to 150 electronic control units and around 100 million lines of software code, with the software content projected to rise dramatically as vehicles become more connected and automated.
That code can control far more than the touchscreen.
Software can influence:
engine management,
battery charging,
thermal systems,
braking,
steering,
transmission behaviour,
airbags,
driver assistance,
door locks,
lighting,
climate control,
instrumentation,
navigation,
telemetry,
and cybersecurity.
The mechanical automobile is therefore slowly acquiring an operating system.
And operating systems need maintenance.
Cybersecurity may become the strongest argument for long-term updates
An old mechanical car does not suddenly develop a new vulnerability because a hacker discovered a flaw on the internet.
A connected vehicle can.
The threat landscape keeps changing long after the car leaves the showroom.
Cryptographic weaknesses are discovered.
Wireless protocols are attacked.
Cloud accounts are compromised.
APIs reveal vulnerabilities.
Mobile applications develop security flaws.
Third-party libraries become outdated.
A vehicle that was secure when sold in 2026 may face threats in 2033 that did not exist when its software architecture was designed.
This is not theoretical.
In July, India's government asked automobile and component manufacturers to audit connected-vehicle software and battery communication systems after cybersecurity concerns involving remotely accessible vehicle infrastructure. The advisory reportedly highlighted issues such as weak authentication, insecure default configurations and unprotected OTA pathways.
The message is straightforward.
Once cars connect to networks, cybersecurity becomes part of vehicle maintenance.
You may eventually need security patches with the same seriousness that an older car needs brake fluid.
India is beginning to regulate the problem
Governments are starting to recognise that software cannot remain an unregulated afterthought.
India has been moving toward formal cybersecurity and software-update requirements for connected vehicles, based around standards such as AIS-189 and related software-update management provisions. The framework introduces phased compliance for categories including automated and OTA-capable vehicles.
This broadly follows an international trend.
UNECE's UN Regulation No. 155 requires manufacturers in participating jurisdictions to operate cybersecurity-management systems, assess threats and maintain processes for monitoring security incidents.
UN Regulation No. 156 covers software-update management and requires manufacturers to control update integrity, keep track of relevant software versions, assess safety effects and manage OTA delivery securely.
These rules are important.
But they are not quite the same thing as a simple consumer promise:
“Your car will receive all essential software and cybersecurity support for 15 years.”
That is the missing language buyers may eventually start demanding.
The industry may need something similar to Android's update promise
Smartphone makers increasingly publish explicit support periods.
A buyer may know that a particular handset will receive operating-system updates for a certain number of years and security patches for another period.
Cars could eventually need something similar.
Imagine a specification sheet stating:
Safety-critical software support: 15 years
Cybersecurity patches: 15 years
Infotainment updates: 8 years
Connected services guaranteed: 10 years
Navigation updates: 7 years
That would dramatically improve transparency.
At present, buyers often know the engine warranty, battery warranty, paint warranty and roadside-assistance period.
But software-support life may remain far less obvious.
For a software-defined vehicle, that increasingly looks like incomplete information.
Subscriptions complicate ownership further
Connected services also create a second issue: recurring payments.
The automotive industry has spent years exploring software as recurring revenue.
Instead of earning money only when a car is sold, manufacturers can potentially earn additional revenue throughout ownership through:
connected services,
premium navigation,
remote features,
driver-assistance packages,
entertainment,
data services,
performance upgrades,
and digital functions.
In India, however, that strategy is encountering consumer resistance.
The Economic Times reported in July that automakers were finding it difficult to persuade Indian users to continue paying for connected-car services once complimentary periods ended, even as connected vehicles represented a growing portion of the market.
That is not surprising.
Indian buyers traditionally think differently about a car from the way they think about Netflix.
When someone pays ₹20 lakh for a vehicle, there is a strong psychological expectation that the features inside it have been purchased.
Subscriptions complicate that understanding.
If heated seats physically exist in the car but require a monthly payment, who owns the feature?
If remote start stops when a connected subscription expires, did the owner buy remote start — or merely temporary access to it?
The answers increasingly reside in software licences rather than mechanical engineering.
Kia's terms illustrate how different digital ownership already is
Kia's connected-services terms provide an instructive example of how software-era ownership works.
Its terms state that software can be updated, upgraded or modified, and that OTA updates may overwrite existing vehicle software. They also specify that the customer does not own Kia's software or firmware itself.
This is common in the software world.
When you buy a laptop, you own the hardware but license much of the software.
Cars are beginning to inherit that model.
The difference is that nobody drives a laptop at 100 km/h.
Software licensing language becomes more consequential when code controls physical machinery.
Then there is the cellular-network problem
Even if an automaker wants to support a car indefinitely, external technology can disappear.
Early connected devices around the world have already encountered this problem when mobile carriers retired older network technologies such as 2G or 3G.
A vehicle's embedded modem may be physically integrated into its telematics architecture.
If that network technology eventually disappears, keeping the connected service alive may require:
a hardware replacement,
a new communications module,
or a manufacturer-designed retrofit.
India still operates older cellular technologies in parts of the ecosystem today, but over a 15-year vehicle life, telecom standards will inevitably evolve.
A car purchased in 2026 could still be running in 2041.
Nobody buying it today can confidently predict exactly what mobile-network architecture will dominate then.
That alone should make buyers cautious about treating cloud-connected features as permanent.
The touchscreen presents a more mundane ageing problem
Then there is ordinary hardware failure.
The modern dashboard is increasingly dominated by screens.
Some cars now use multiple displays.
A single panel can contain navigation, climate settings, cameras, media, vehicle configuration and connected services.
That looks spectacular in the showroom.
But after 12 years, the question becomes less glamorous:
Can I still buy that display assembly?
Mechanical controls are often relatively generic.
A physical switch can sometimes be repaired.
An aftermarket workshop can fabricate or substitute simple components.
A proprietary curved display connected to a vehicle-specific computing unit is much harder to improvise.
If the manufacturer stops stocking the module and no aftermarket develops, a seemingly minor electronics failure could disable several functions simultaneously.
This is where repairability becomes as important as software support.
Cameras and radar add calibration to normal repairs
ADAS also changes accident repair.
A bumper replacement is no longer necessarily just a bumper replacement.
If radar is located behind it, alignment may matter.
Replacing a windscreen can affect a camera mounted behind it.
Suspension or wheel-alignment work may affect sensor geometry.
After certain repairs, ADAS systems may require recalibration.
That introduces specialist tools and procedures into what used to be ordinary bodywork.
As these vehicles age, independent workshops will need access to calibration equipment, diagnostic information and software.
Otherwise, long-term maintenance could become increasingly dependent on authorised service networks.
This has major implications for India's enormous independent repair industry.
The ₹20-lakh car may eventually have a digital resale history
Software could also reshape used-car valuation.
Today buyers inspect:
odometer reading,
accident history,
service records,
tyres,
engine condition,
paint,
ownership history.
Tomorrow they may need another checklist.
Is the infotainment platform still supported?
Does the embedded modem work?
Are connected services transferable?
When was the last security update?
Are ADAS sensors calibrated?
Is the software version current?
Have modules been replaced?
Are paid digital features tied to the car or the original owner's account?
Does the manufacturer still operate the backend service?
Some manufacturers are already moving toward richer digital vehicle histories. Hyundai, for example, offers a paid Vehicle Digital Passport linked to Bluelink that uses information including maintenance, incidents and driving behaviour to produce a vehicle-condition record.
That hints at where used-car markets may eventually go.
Software could improve resale value — or destroy it
There is an optimistic version of this story.
A 10-year-old vehicle could actually become better supported than an old car today.
Remote diagnostics might detect failures early.
OTA updates might fix bugs.
Digital maintenance histories could improve buyer confidence.
Software could compensate for ageing components.
Battery-management improvements could preserve EV performance.
ADAS refinements could make cars safer.
But the opposite scenario is also possible.
Imagine two mechanically identical ten-year-old vehicles.
One still receives security patches, has functioning connected services and has replacement electronic modules available.
The other has a discontinued app, unsupported modem, obsolete maps and a failed infotainment computer unavailable as a spare.
Their resale values could diverge dramatically despite having equally healthy engines.
Software support may become part of depreciation.
EVs make the question even more important
The software-defined-car transition is not limited to electric vehicles, but EVs intensify it.
Battery-electric vehicles rely heavily on software for:
battery management,
charging,
thermal conditioning,
energy prediction,
motor control,
regenerative braking,
cell balancing,
charging compatibility,
and route planning.
In an ICE vehicle, a dead infotainment unit might be irritating.
In an EV, software touches far more of the drivetrain ecosystem.
Battery packs are expensive assets expected to remain useful for many years.
That makes the durability of their management software equally important.
As EVs mature, a key ownership question may become not only:
How much battery capacity remains?
but also:
Is the battery-management platform still supported?
Automakers have a financial dilemma
Why wouldn't manufacturers simply promise 15 or 20 years of updates?
Because long-term software maintenance is expensive.
Imagine an automaker selling ten different electronic architectures across hundreds of variants over a decade.
Every security fix may have to be tested against:
different processors,
different screens,
different camera hardware,
different powertrains,
different countries,
different regulations,
different telecom networks,
and different software versions.
Unlike a smartphone crash, a flawed vehicle update could affect safety.
That means testing needs to be extremely conservative.
The longer support continues, the larger the legacy fleet becomes.
Eventually manufacturers face the same problem faced by Microsoft, Apple and smartphone makers — except with much greater safety consequences.
Centralised vehicle architectures may help
One reason the industry is moving toward true software-defined vehicles is precisely to reduce this complexity.
Older vehicles may contain dozens of separate electronic control units supplied by different companies.
Each performs a specific job.
Modern SDV architectures increasingly aim to consolidate computing into fewer powerful central or zonal controllers.
That can make software easier to maintain.
Instead of updating dozens of independent modules, manufacturers can manage a smaller number of computing platforms.
This is similar to what happened in smartphones and computers.
The transition is already influencing component suppliers. At electronica India 2026, Texas Instruments showcased technologies including software-defined vehicle zone control, alongside ADAS and EV systems, illustrating how this architecture is moving from theory into automotive supply chains.
If implemented well, software-defined architecture could actually make 10-year support easier.
But that will depend on whether manufacturers choose to provide it.
The car industry's business model is quietly changing
For a century, manufacturers were primarily in the business of selling machines.
They built a car.
A dealer sold it.
Workshops maintained it.
After the warranty ended, the relationship with the manufacturer could gradually diminish.
Connected cars create a much longer relationship.
The manufacturer may now remain involved every day through:
cloud servers,
vehicle data,
mobile apps,
remote commands,
subscriptions,
OTA updates,
navigation services,
security monitoring,
and digital identities.
The sale is no longer necessarily the end of the manufacturer's responsibility.
It can be the beginning of a digital service relationship lasting the life of the vehicle.
That may require the industry to rethink what “lifetime support” actually means.
Regulators may eventually have to define a minimum software life
International cybersecurity rules already require manufacturers to think systematically about software updates and cyber risk.
But consumer protection may eventually need to go further.
A future regulation could require manufacturers to disclose minimum support periods before sale.
It might distinguish between:
safety-critical updates,
cybersecurity patches,
convenience features,
cloud services,
and paid entertainment functions.
Governments could also require manufacturers to provide a transition plan when servers are shut down.
Could certain features continue locally?
Could a replacement telematics module be offered?
Could independent workshops gain access to necessary diagnostic software?
Could critical functions remain operational without a subscription?
These questions were irrelevant when the most sophisticated computer inside a family car controlled fuel injection.
They are becoming unavoidable now.
Buyers should start asking different questions
The typical showroom conversation still focuses on familiar comparisons.
Mileage.
Horsepower.
Boot space.
Sunroof.
Speakers.
Airbags.
Service cost.
But buyers planning to keep a technology-heavy car for a decade should increasingly ask another set of questions:
How long are connected services included?
What happens when the free subscription ends?
How many years are software updates guaranteed?
Are security updates separate from infotainment updates?
Can the car operate normally if the manufacturer's servers shut down?
Can navigation be updated manually?
Can the telematics modem be replaced?
Can ADAS sensors be calibrated outside the authorised network?
What does a replacement infotainment computer cost?
Which functions stop if connectivity expires?
Those may sound like questions for an IT department.
That is precisely the point.
Buying a modern car is gradually becoming partly an IT procurement decision.
This does not make modern cars worse
It would be easy to turn this debate into nostalgia.
Old cars were simpler.
Therefore old cars were better.
That conclusion would miss the enormous benefits modern electronics provide.
Electronic stability control saves lives.
Automatic emergency braking can prevent collisions.
360-degree cameras make large SUVs easier to manoeuvre.
Connected emergency assistance can summon help after an accident.
Remote diagnostics can identify problems before breakdowns.
Software updates can fix defects without workshop visits.
ADAS can reduce driver fatigue.
The goal should not be to remove software from cars.
That era is over.
The better objective is to make automotive software behave like automotive hardware:
durable, repairable, documented and supported for the realistic life of the vehicle.
The industry's biggest transition may not be electric
Much of today's automotive debate focuses on EVs versus petrol, diesel and hybrids.
But another transition may ultimately affect every powertrain.
The car itself is becoming software-defined.
A petrol SUV with radar, cameras, connected navigation and OTA updates participates in this transition just as surely as an electric vehicle does.
Hyundai describes software-defined vehicles and OTA capability as part of its future Indian roadmap. Kia has expanded connected functions and OTA systems. Tata, Mahindra and other manufacturers are moving increasingly sophisticated electronics and ADAS into mainstream products. Across the industry, the direction is toward more software, not less.
And consumer demand is encouraging them.
People want the screens.
They want the cameras.
They want remote start.
They want ADAS.
They want the app.
They want their new vehicle to feel as technologically advanced as their phone.
Manufacturers are responding.
But a car is not a phone
That may be the sentence worth remembering.
A phone lasts perhaps four or five years for many users.
A ₹20-lakh car may still be carrying a family down an expressway in 2038.
Its owner may be its second or third.
Its paint may have faded.
Its seats may have been reupholstered.
The engine may have crossed 150,000 kilometres.
But the camera behind its windscreen may still be helping decide when to brake.
Its electronic control units may still be connected to physical systems.
Its telematics computer may still contain communications hardware.
Its software may still be making decisions hundreds of times every second.
The vehicle will have aged mechanically.
The digital world surrounding it will have changed far more dramatically.
A ten-year-old car will no longer simply be an old machine. It may also be an old computer operating inside a world of new networks, new security threats and new software standards.
That is the ownership question the automobile industry has only begun to confront.
The next great car specification may be “years of support”
Today, manufacturers compete on:
0–100 km/h times.
Touchscreen size.
Number of speakers.
ADAS level.
Horsepower.
Range.
Connected features.
Soon, another number deserves a place on the brochure.
Guaranteed software-support years.
Not vague compatibility.
Not “OTA capable.”
Not “connected technology.”
An actual period.
Because the most sophisticated feature in a modern vehicle is valuable only while the ecosystem behind it remains alive.
Indian consumers are embracing software-defined cars faster than ever. Hyundai alone has hundreds of thousands of connected vehicles on Indian roads; ADAS adoption is climbing rapidly; buyers show unusually high willingness to pay for sophisticated digital features.
The technology is clearly arriving.
What has not yet fully arrived is the long-term ownership contract around it.
And for a country where a well-maintained car can remain in service for 10, 15 or even 20 years, that contract matters.
Because in 2036, the owner of today's ₹20-lakh SUV may discover that the engine still starts instantly.
The gearbox may still shift perfectly.
The air-conditioning may still blow cold.
The body may still be solid.
The question will be whether the cloud account still logs in, whether the cameras still understand the road, whether security patches still arrive — and whether somebody, somewhere, is still maintaining the software that turned that car into a computer in the first place.
