The first motor vehicle was sold in the late 1800s, and an entire industry has been built around this initial sale. It is estimated that the automotive industry is worth £74 billion in the UK alone, and that number is only going to continue to grow. The modern economy has been able to develop further due to improvements to the transport industry. More places can now be reached and in a quicker time frame. As a car enthusiast or a business leader looking to overhaul your fleet, you may have a lot of questions relating to the fast-paced industry.
For the motoring industry to continue to thrive, it must keep updating itself with modern trends and technologies. The early 21st century has already bestowed some alterations on how this industry functions. However, there is plenty more to come. To help you learn more about the industry, we have compiled a guide going over some of the changes in the past. We will also explore the future of the industry, especially in terms of sustainability.
1: Increased Safety
The safety of the driver and their passengers is of paramount concern to car manufacturers. Safety has come a long way in the last 50 years. In fact, seatbelts weren’t made mandatory in UK vehicles until 1983. It wasn’t long until 90% of car drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Fortunately, the more time the public spends in their cars, the more manufacturers learn about potential hazards. Some drivers utilise dash cams to help protect their interests. This can help cover them in any insurance claims. Some modern vehicles have cameras built in to assist with parking and to see what’s around the car. Small objects on the road or under the tires can lead to an incident if not caught in time. These cameras aim to pinpoint potential dangers on the road to keep the driver safe throughout their journey.
2: Self-Driving Cars
Self-driving cars are not as far away from reality as you may think. It has always been a dream for motorists to sit behind the wheel and be driven by an automatic engine. However, it seems as if car manufacturers are halfway there with this technology.
Cruise control is a useful tool that many modern cars have. Previous cruise control systems were used to set a pace for a car on long journeys. For example, you could set your cruise control to a certain limit. However, the newer cruise control systems have taken this idea further. For the vehicles that have it, the onboard AI can predict the speed of the vehicle in front, which means that it can set your vehicle’s speed in accordance with this information. This system has been labelled as adaptive cruise control. It may not seem like a huge leap forward, but self-driving cars are a top priority for the motoring industry. With this new development, manufacturers are now one step closer to that reality.
3: Augmented/Virtual Reality
The dashboard has always been a useful array of information for the modern driver. This compartment can inform you of your current speed, your mileage, and your fuel levels. These are all important details for any motorist. However, other factors can affect your driving. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough room for these to be displayed in a standard vehicle. That’s where augmented reality comes in.
Smart technology has allowed us to view and experience information in a digital space. This means that you can project anything onto a screen for another to see, rather than relying on the physical space. One application for this technology is your car’s windscreen. Developers are hoping that they can increase your dashboard capacity by showing you virtual information on the screen ahead. Using this, you can learn about upcoming weather systems, potential traffic, and your estimated arrival time based on these changes. Vehicle manufacturers are working to implement this augmented technology in a way that does not obstruct your view or pose as a distraction. However, these factors will not be too much of an issue once self-driving cars hit the roads.
4: Reduced Emissions
Although the motoring industry has had a largely positive effect on modern society, it hasn’t all been good. Fuel emissions have posed a threat to the global environment, and these emissions are one of the leading causes of climate change. It isn’t too late to reverse this problem, though, which is why the motoring industry is making moves to reduce the emissions of their upcoming projects.
The leaders of the biggest car companies will all need to change the way they operate, which is why they have started to plan. If you own a fleet of vehicles then you can take an online short course from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership to help you learn more about how your modern business could reduce its emissions. This will help safeguard your business for the future. You will be better equipped to deal with the burgeoning climate crisis, and toxic fuel emissions will fall as a result. On top of this information, manufacturers have invested in ways to create reliable electric vehicles. Expect to see more of these on the roads in the future.
5: Size
You may have noticed that the newer cars on the market are constantly getting bigger. Believe it or not, this is not a style feature. In fact, modern cars need to be bigger to contain all the newest safety features that were discussed earlier. This means that they can include larger crumple zones, more airbags, and safety cells. However, there are other reasons for this design change.
People use their cars more in modern society, and are far more likely to commute to work. What’s more, a family will use their car for every journey. This means that you need to buy a car that can cope with every occasion. If you are going on holiday, having a car with plenty of space for your belongings is best. Also, people are encouraged to share rides as much as possible to reduce the number of cars on the road. You can only do this in a car that has more than five seats. Therefore, bigger cars are definitely becoming better cars.
6: Faster Cars
There are vehicles that can drive faster than the national speeding limit. While these cars have existed for a long time they are becoming more common to see. However, there is a reason why modern cars are getting faster.
The speed is determined by the size of the piston strokes in the engine and a weight reduction. These are both elements that are required to produce cars that are more fuel efficient. Again, fuel efficiency is required to reduce carbon emissions. Therefore, you will find that modern cars are receiving an increase in their engine capabilities in an effort to combat climate change. Developers aren’t trying to break the sound barrier with their latest models. They are just trying to keep their carbon emissions down.
Conclusion
As you can see, most of the changes occurring in the motoring industry have come as a result of climate change. It isn’t the motoring industry’s fault that the planet is struggling with global warming. After all, the initial car manufacturers were unaware of the effects of carbon emissions. However, these carbon emissions do need to be severely reduced. Therefore, the motoring industry is making big changes in order to make up for the damage that has already been done. Hybrid and electric cars are a good first step, but we expect to see more drastic changes as we discover more about climate change.
