Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is betting on infrared beams that help drivers see better at night. Volkswagen AG's Audi luxury car brand is using radio transmitters to warn oncoming cars of traffic hazards.
European carmakers are rolling out space-age gadgets and luxury options to lure older customers as a regionwide baby bust begins to shrink the pool of drivers in the home market of DaimlerChrysler AG, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault SA.
``The value of the final few years of life to an 80-year-old means he'll spend whatever it costs for a very safe and comfortable car,'' says Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, who heads the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Gelsenkirchen in Germany. ``That older buyer wants the best and latest technology, even if he doesn't understand it.''
Full article here