Automotive Technology Trends in 2018

The Automotive industry was born in 1898. It was the time that Winton Motor Carriage Company sold the first car to Robert Alison. The car industry has been undergoing some changes in the past few years. So that today modern automobiles barely resemble the first car that was ever sold. The technology will change this industry even more in 2018. Here are some of the most significant changes that customers should be aware.

Autonomous Driving

Autonomous driving has always been on the list of automotive topics since Google began experimenting with its self-driving cars. Now we can finally see some real headway with it. The Waymo vehicle came with some new built-in sensors. Some experts argue that the first self-driving cars may enter the market within the next year.

This will create significant opportunities for customers throughout the world. Benefits of self-driving cars will include:

– Minimizing accidents caused by sleepiness

– Increase customers productivity, as they can focus on other tasks in their driving time

– Allowing drivers to have more social relationships with their passengers

– Decrease insurance prices in the near future, as autonomous vehicles start to bring down accident rates

The Emergence of Crossover Vehicles

Large families have realized the benefits of choosing SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicle) for years. SUVs have more space, a feature that is ideal for families with two or more children. On the other hand, their fuel efficiency is lower than other smaller models and are clumsy to operate.

Fortunately, a new hybrid model has arrived. Crossover vehicles are a mix of SUVs and regular sedans. Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at Autotrader (an industry research firm), told the Washington Post that the new vehicles are more popular since they are very versatile. Nearly six million crossovers were sold in 2016. That number is expected to surge by 2018.

New Multi-Terrain Vehicles

As baby boomers begin to retire, they are planning on spending more time taking trips that they couldn’t go on while they were taking care of their children. They have started to invest in newer, more versatile vehicles. A lot of these vehicles are higher end and capable of operating on more rough lands. Since a large group of baby boomers is leaving the cities for road trips in different parts of the country, it seems that demand for such vehicles will grow significantly.

Improving pricing Efficiency by Blockchain 

The Automotive industry has been struggling with some challenges over the past few years. Growing number of fake parts in the market has been one of these challenges. They are exploring some solutions, which includes using Blockchain to vet them first. Removing counterfeit parts from the market should help improve transparency and lead to more efficient pricing strategies.

Growing Dependence on Big Data

Big data has become one of the primary game-changer factors almost in all industries. The automobile industry is no exception in here. The Department of Transportation has proposed new regulations that would make connection easier between all cars in the roads to communicate with each other by 2020.