You'd think in today's world of common technology in most everything, the Prius, of any car, would have a computer voice that speaks to you with common messages. Lights are on. Door is ajar. Someone just rear-ended you, Jack! Did the novelty just die off?
There's a thread going here, someone self-installed a robot voice, gives blow-by-blow of what the car's doing, going into EV for example. Annoying as heck, in my opinion. I cracked up, listening to our Aussie-voiced Garmin mangling Hawaii street names,.
Our friends had a talking car years ago, but "A door is ajar" was about the best it could do. Must've been a 1983-1986 Chrysler: Chrysler Electronic Voice Alert (EVA): the talking car system They found it really, really annoying, and eventually had it put down.
My dads 85 Maxima, which became my first car when I turned 17, 'talked'. Fuel level is low, right door is ajar, those kinds of things... It was a cool trick in 85', now, not so much. Now if a car could hold a conversation with you like K.I.T.T. could, I'd be all for that, lol.