My how things change...Now tech features will be the key to sales success

Using a radar tucked discreetly behind the front grille, your car "senses" you are about to slam into the vehicle ahead.

Within fractions of a second, it tightens your seat belt, slightly changes your seat position, raises the windows, adds pressure to the brakes and prepares the air bags to inflate.

When it's all over, a violent crash that may have otherwise ended your life produces only minor injuries.

While it may sound like a vision of a faraway future, some vehicles on the road today perform all of these functions and more.

And in coming years, cars and trucks will become even smarter in preventing accidents, adapting to the tastes and preferences of drivers and communicating with the world outside.

Full article here

rack - 1/5/2006 12:18:13 AM

+1 Boost

All most of this stuff does is impress our friends and cost us money, but it doent make our lives any easier.

I think Navigation and bluetooth should be the only newer things that a car requires.

Also the only radar I want tucked in the the front of my car is one that will tell me when the fuzz are gunning for me.

lewissalem - 1/6/2006 2:22:48 PM

+1 Boost

Completely agree. I think that the next area of competition for the automotive companies is in things like displays, lighting, and options.

When an Accord V-6 can do 0-60 in six flat, what's next? Just having a fast car alone wont sell cars anymore. It is expected.

Furthermore, EVERY car should have LED taillights by now. But that's not enough, I want LED headlights, interior lighting, and side marking lighting.

I want more interior fabric options. Like Volvo's wonderful sythetic material offered in it's s40. You can get leather in a Kia. Give me something superior.

We were promised auto dimming glass atleast ten years ago. Where is this?

Time to step it up.

dotuno - 1/6/2006 9:07:15 PM

+1 Boost

I noticed amongst the automatic responses, "raises the windows". Well, what happens if the driver or passenger has their arm partly stuck out of the window? Or your kid happens to peep out of the window just a second before that moment? I know they are bad and dangerous driving habits, but people do them. I see a field day for litigation-happy America :)