The year behind was brutal for all industries in existence, and automotive companies were not spared from this havoc. With profit margins so low, one would assume that the industry would push the pause button on all development projects and unsure innovations. However, that was not the case. The early projections say that the automotive market will grow to 77 million in 2021, which is a 10% increase. This growth, of course, will be accompanied by the release of some new features and new tech trends. Let us take a look at some of the most important developments.
Cruise control becoming a thing
The road to fully self-steering vehicles is long and riddled with various technical and even more so ethical problems. However, the areas with the low volumes of traffic do give manufacturers a chance to stretch their muscles and introduce limited cruise control as a necessary middle-ground between current cars and fully automated vehicles. Companies like Cadillac are doing their best to finally make things like adaptive self-steering, blind-spot monitoring, and auto-braking a thing of reality.
Windshields and windows getting HUDs
Current navigation systems and car gadgets have a couple of glaring problems. First, they are too hard to navigate on-the-go. Second – they require that the driver takes their eyes off the road in order to use them. The solution to both these problems lies in the active window technology developed by Toyota that converts the back windows of a vehicle into an active, transparent touchscreen. This concept can be easily repurposed to be used by drivers without causing too much distraction and compromising safety.
Growing quality of car components
The aftermarket parts have always been frowned upon by the car purists for their supposed lack of quality and longevity. These days, even the harshest critics have to admit that this situation is rapidly changing. If we once again take Toyota as an example, we can see a growing number of aftermarket Toyota parts that are produced at the same level of quality as the original components. This novel development could potentially reshape the whole industry, increasing the life span of available vehicles for a number of years.
3D printing making its way into the industry
This development is closely related to the previous topic we have discussed. With the number of active vehicles growing with each passing day and drivers expecting longer lifespans, the necessity of quick production of original and replacement parts becomes an urgent issue. Here lies the opportunity for 3D printing to, after years of promises, finally live up to its potential and reach millions of users in a meaningful and viable way. It’s truly a win-win situation for all parties involved in the process.
Rise of electrical vehicles – once again
Speaking of living up to the potential, we have to mention electric vehicles that always seem on the verge of breaking into the mainstream but never seem to be able to do that. Well, in recent years, the indicators regarding the growth of this market have been more than positive. Namely, the number of active electric vehicles should hit an 8-10 million mark by the end of 2025, which are rock-solid numbers. Besides, fossil fuels are obsolete – this novel technology is poised to succeed sooner or later.
We hope these few examples gave you some general idea about the things brewing on the horizon in the automotive industry. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a huge blow to car manufacturers all over the world. However, the industry has been far from passive. The seeds of development have been planted. A couple of roadblocks can’t truly stop the progress.
great information.
The greatest change that has just happened in the car business because of innovation is that of independence. Producers are currently creating self-driving vehicles for a bigger scope
Very informative.Thanks for sharing.