It’s been over a week since I’ve purchased a 2026 Mazda MX-5. Today the salesperson texts me to check-in and make sure I download the Mazda Connect app onto my phone. Strange! Why would the dealership be so concerned with a customer using an optional app? I say optional because, well, the car drives plenty fine without it.
We can all guess the reason: money. Modern new cars are fitted with 5G modems to support connected services in the infotainment system. A part of that ecosystem are branded mobile apps that allow customers to monitor their cars. In my previous 2021 BMW M2, I was able to check fuel levels, see the current mileage, and lock the doors. In Tesla cars, you can even see how fast the vehicle is going and what music is currently playing, right on the app.
If the end user has access to this information, so does the manufacturer. According the Mazda privacy paper, for my new MX-5, this includes:
“Driving Data”: driving behavior data, which includes the acceleration and speed at which your Connected Vehicle is driven and use of the steering and braking functions in your Connected Vehicle (Driving Data was collected for each driving trip and transmitted at each Ignition Off); and
“Vehicle Health Data”: includes Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); odometer, fuel level, and oil life readings; Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); and data from the Connected Vehicle’s OBD system (“OBD Data”). OBD Data includes, but is not limited to, engine coolant temperature, fuel injection volume, engine Rotation Per Minute (RPM), and the status of doors, hood, trunk, and hazard lights (Vehicle Health Data was transmitted at each Ignition-Off).
That’s a lot, isn’t it? Automakers can swear to high heavens they are not doing anything nefarious with the collection information, but the truth is in the incentives. My salesperson wouldn’t bug me post sale to install the Mazda Connect app (he also tried during the purchase process) if Mazda wasn’t putting on pressure to do so. Mazda obviously puts high value on that data, and what else if not for exchanging it for monetary gain? I would not be surprised if my declining to install the app will hurt the salesperson’s commission.
But I am definitely not installing the Mazda app. I used the BMW app with the M2 because I didn’t know any better. Just like how Apple refuses to create a backdoor for their iPhone encryption, I want to eliminate any possibility of unintended consequences. Even if I can trust Mazda with data from every time I drive the MX-5, the risk of hacks and beaches exists. It’s safer to not turn on the spigot to begin with.
Late nights.