The jobs around a car that doesn't get replaced
Producing fewer replacement vehicles does not necessarily imply producing less work; it changes where work occurs.
Where MML fails
A model this integrated can easily become dystopian if efficiency is treated as sufficient justification. MML could create manufacturers that know where customers drive, how they behave and how much risk they represent; it could create proprietary components that remain technically repairable but cannot function without manufacturer authorisation, or exclude independent workshops through certification requirements. Insurers could translate postcode, income and behaviour into increasingly granular pricing, while a technological discontinuity could strand enormous quantities of capital.
Who owns the fleet?
Eventually every lifecycle model reaches the same uncomfortable number. One million vehicles costing €30,000 each represent:
When things go wrong
A credible lifecycle response separates the customer’s need for mobility from the damaged asset’s repair, reassignment or retirement — and makes the resulting decisions traceable, accountable and testable.
Designing the asset
Continuity requires lifecycle architecture: physical and digital systems designed so that repair, software evolution and organisational change do not prematurely terminate the vehicle’s productive life.
