Any cell phone that can be turned off but still wake you with an alarm (most phones) was never really off - just dormant with screen and other stuff turned off to save battery, and has been re-activated by a software signal -
I think future cars may well be fitted with passive RFID tags and transponders will be fitted to lampposts and other 'street furniture' to make every vehicle trackable (maybe for road pricing or average speed checks), even when the battery is removed from your phone.