“Luxury automaker Lexus to offer ‘genius bars’”

After reading an article like this one from luxury blog Luxuo, you may think to yourself, “how did this work before?”  What we’re referring to is Lexus’s new rendition on Apple’s “Genius Bar,” an in-store technical support group.  When you think of how complex today’s automotive features and options are, this idea from Lexus exploits a clear opportunity gap and will be a great addition to their industry leading dealer ratings.  Many of us are tech savvy enough to formulate our own methodology around fancy options, but as your car starts to talk to you more, brake and steer for you, proper understanding and education is an increasingly important supplement.  So, this looks like a convenient and logical addition to the dealership experience, and other brands are sure to follow suit in some form.  But there still seems to be an issue with the increasing technical complexity of new cars, what about private mechanics?  Surely auto manufacturers have little compassion for mechanics outside of their official network, but what will happen when dealerships are the only sources that can support such complex technology?  Will private mechanics and specialists become endangered or extinct?