That Morning Shock: When Your EV Became a Billboard
Picture this: it’s a regular weekday morning in late May, and you’re about to hop into your Deepal SL03 or S7, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and head off to work. Instead of your usual startup chime or media playlist, you’re greeted by a five-second, full-screen ad for Deepal’s SUV S09—complete with a flashy offer of 10,000 yuan (about $1,300). The catch? You never asked for it.
That’s exactly what happened on May 27, when nearly half a million Deepal owners across China discovered their dashboards hijacked by an unsolicited commercial. Reports surfaced on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and dozens of car enthusiast forums as drivers vented about feeling more like captives than customers behind the wheel.
Crossing the Line
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill pop-up ad in a smartphone app—this is in-car advertising at its most intrusive. Imagine expecting your GPS or music app to fire up after you turn the key, only to be ambushed by a marketing pitch you can’t skip or disable. Many Deepal owners compared the experience to an episode of Black Mirror, coining phrases like “dashboard extortion” and “auto ransom” in their posts.
Under pressure, Deepal’s CEO Deng Chenghao offered a public apology, admitting the campaign was an “error of judgment” and pledging to never send such ads without explicit opt-in. Still, for users who felt their privacy and autonomy trampled, the damage was done. It raised uncomfortable questions: if a carmaker can pop ads onto your screen, what stops it from upselling driving data or pushing premium subscriptions next?
Stellantis Paved the Way
Deepal may have gone viral this time, but they’re hardly the first to explore monetizing in-car screens. A few months earlier in the U.S., Stellantis triggered its own uproar. Jeep owners reported seeing full-screen promos for Mopar extended warranties every time they applied the brakes or restarted their engines.
Although Stellantis chalked it up to a “temporary bug” that disabled opt-out settings, insiders noted it aligned perfectly with the automaker’s broader goal: to generate €20 billion in connected services revenue by 2030. By treating the vehicle’s dashboard like a digital billboard, carmakers are chasing the same dollar signs that keep free smartphone apps afloat.
A Slippery Slope Toward Monetized Dashboards?
In today’s auto industry, software is king. And where there’s a screen and an internet connection, there’s temptation to monetize every second of attention. But unlike a phone or tablet, a car demands trust, focus, and a sense of control. Blanketing drivers with unwanted ads risks shattering that fragile bond.
Deepal says this slip-up won’t happen again, and Stellantis has since reassured Jeep owners the ads are gone. Yet the bigger question looms: which manufacturer will be next to test the waters of in-car marketing? As more brands chase recurring revenue, the line between helpful features and intrusive sales pitches could blur even further.
What This Means for Drivers
If you’re shopping for a connected vehicle, this episode is a timely reminder to read the fine print on software updates and data permissions. Ask your dealer how the brand handles in-dash notifications, whether there’s an easy way to opt out, and if there’s any transparency around third-party content.
For regulators, the Deepal fiasco underscores the need to define clear rules around digital advertising in vehicles. Should automakers be allowed to push ads at all? And if so, under what conditions? Until governments step in, drivers will have to stay vigilant about the software side of car ownership.
Looking Ahead: A Dashboard Without Ads?
One silver lining: the outcry shows drivers won’t tolerate being treated like mobile app users when they’re behind the wheel. Public backlash forced Deepal and Stellantis to retreat—and they know a repeat could hit their reputations hard.
As carmakers race toward fully software-driven vehicles, the industry has a choice: respect the driver’s cockpit as a private space or turn it into just another ad channel. Hopefully, Deepal’s unwanted ad marathon serves as a wake-up call rather than a preview of a future where every morning commute starts with a commercial break.
