The auto industry of the future will be characterized by vanishing boundaries between countries and companies, between suppliers and manufacturers, between engineering fields, between departments (that is, marketing, design, and finance), between labor and management, and between automotive and consumer electronics. Companies that rapidly adapt to unpredictable and dynamic events will prevail. Most automobiles in use today are propelled by gasoline also known as petrol or diesel. The internal combustion engines, which are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate change and global warming. Increasing costs of oil based fuels, tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies include the development of hybrid vehicles, and electric and hydrogen vehicles that do not release pollution into the air.
Safety will continue to be a concern for automakers. Airbags have saved numerous lives, but they have also been responsible for injuries and deaths of small children, due to the forceful action of the airbags when they inflate. Another point of controversy concerns the recent popularity of large sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks. When an ordinary car collides with a truck or SUV, studies show that the car passengers are much more likely to suffer injury or death than are the occupants of the larger vehicles. SUVs and trucks are heavier and higher off the ground than ordinary cars and frequently run over the bumpers of ordinary cars during collisions. Industry representatives, government agencies, and insurance groups are currently working on these problems to create practical solutions and increase safety on the road.
Diesel engine cars have long been popular in Europe with the first models being introduced in the 1930s by Mercedes Benz and Citroen. The main benefit of diesel engines is its fuel burn efficiency compared to gasoline engines. A downside of the Diesel engine is that better filters are required to reduce the presence in the exhaust gases of fine soot particulates called diesel particulate matter. Manufacturers are now starting to fit diesel particulate filters to remove the soot. Gasoline engines have the advantage over diesel in being lighter and able to work at higher rotational speeds and they are the usual choice for fitting in high performance sports cars. Continuous development of gasoline engines for over a hundred years has produced improvements in efficiency and reduced pollution. The carburetor, which was used on nearly all road cars, engines as late as the 1980’s is being replaced by the fuel injection, which has better control of the fuel and air mixture. Innovations like the electric cars have their role as well. The first electric cars were built around 1832, well before internal combustion powered cars appeared. For a period of time, electrics were considered superior due to the silent nature of electric motors compared to the very loud noise of the gasoline engine.
A compressed air car is an alternative fuel car that uses a motor powered by compressed air. This technology too has its place in the future.
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