Things You Can Expect To See More Of Soon
If you want to see progress in fast-forward, compare the typical new car of today with the typical new car of 2000 -- and then compare both with what the typical new car of 2012 is likely to be like (as far as we can imagine that).
In 2000, for instance, in-dash GPS units were still fairly rare -- and found almost exclusively on high-dollar luxury cars. In 2007, GPS is commonplace -- and available on modestly priced ($20k or so) new cars like the Honda Civic and Mazda3.
Within five years, GPS will become a "given" on most every new car, irrespective of price -- just like air conditioning and power steering are today.
In 2000, things like "intelligent" radar-guided cruise control that can automatically adjust the speed of your vehicle to match the ebb and flow of traffic -- and cars that can park themselves -- were the stuff of "concept vehicles" at car shows and seemingly far off in the future.
Today, you can order a new Lexus LS sedan with both.
A transmission with six forward gears was considered very forward-thinking back in 2000. Mostly, these gearboxes were found on exotic/high-performance sports cars like the Corvette and Viper. The typical car still had a four-speed automatic. Fast-forward to 2007 and you'll find six-speeds in everything from Miatas to pick-up trucks -- and seven (and even eight-speed) automatics in '07's high-end luxury cars.
Also:
Two types of transmissions that were either unknown or extremely exotic seven years ago -- the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and the Sequential Manual Transmission -- are now in fairly wide use as well. A CVT works like a conventional automatic but has no individual forward gears -- so there's no "shift shock" between up and downshifts. A pair of variable diameter pulleys and a special cogged belt are used instead of gears to infinitely adjust the effective drive ratio for any given speed/load. A Sequential manual transmission is a true manual transmission -- but computers and servos handle engaging and disengaging the clutch instead of the driver's left leg. This type of transmission was derived from Formula 1 racing -- but is now available to regular folks, too.
So, what can we expect to see in terms of features and equipment on a 2012 model car? Here's a likely list:
* Some form of in-car Internet access -- So that drivers can check (and reply to) e-mails and so on while driving. Systems are already in the prototype stage. As we spend more time in our cars, our cars will be designed to help us make better us of that time. (Just remember to keep your eyes on the road ahead.)
* "Active" accident-avoidance technology -- A few high-end cars already offer early-stage systems, which differ from "passive" safety equipment like air bags (which work to limit injury but do nothing to prevent a crash) by intervening to correct for driver error, such as over-steering or panic braking, when the system detects an accident may be imminent. Some of the advanced systems in development can, for example, sense an object in the path of the vehicle -- and if the driver doesn't react in time, the system will step in to either steer the vehicle around the object or apply the brakes to slow the car and prevent an impact.
* Multi-configuration exteriors -- General Motors has an interesting next generation hybrid/fuel cell vehicle in the works that features changeable exteriors. One week, for example, you may want to drive a sleek-looking coupe. But when the weekend arrives, maybe you need a pick-up like vehicle to cart things home from the store. With GM's concept vehicle, the car's exterior can be quickly and easily unbolted from the underlying chassis -- and swapped with another. While this kind of car may be more than five years away, it's not too far beyond the horizon.
* Multi-fuel vehicles -- Today, there are vehicles able to switch between gasoline and the alcohol-based fuel, E85. Tomorrow, we may see vehicles that can operate entirely on electricity for extended periods (unlike today's hybrids) then switch to diesel or gas -- or some other fuel source, as conditions (or availability) dictate. This technology is also in development -- and seen as a necessary "pre-emptive" step to deal with the possibility of energy shortages and price volatility in the years ahead.
