Are we ready for the next generation of automotive changes that are on their way?
In the past ten years the automotive industry has almost ‘reinvented the wheel’ with many new technological changes to the simple automobile. The ‘car’ has evolved into a smartphone on wheels and very soon the traditional Auto Show or International Motor Show (Frankfurt, Geneva, Tokyo, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Paris) will disappear and new car launches will be held at CES (Consumer Electronics And IT Shows) around the globe.
Electric mobility (electric cars) took a major leap forward and has been the biggest disrupter in the auto market to date. Like it or not, its coming fast and hard.
Earlier in the decade, there was Mazda Motors Japan who reinvented the combustion engine to provide class best fuel economy with their Skyactiv technology.
Then there was Mercedes-Benz who had designers that looked to the future to provide car cabins that came from the next decade with a multitude of touch screens.
Then there were countless mergers and alliances in the automotive market with the biggest news coming from two new automotive nations. Proton from Malaysia was bought up 49 percent and revived by Geely Auto from China.
At the same time Geely Auto also bought 51 percent of Lotus Cars from Proton management and they have a plan to bring Lotus Cars to the mass sports car market with interesting new powertrains and also an electric powered hyper-car called the Evija.
Now, just as 2021 came to an end we saw a humble compact hatchback arriving in our local showrooms with un-heard of safety technology features, considering its selling price. Yes, at RM58,800 (and this is the highest specification model) you get a brand new Perodua Myvi with the Perodua Smart Drive Assist (PSDA) system which was designed with the safety of the driver and pedestrian in mind.
The PSDA has four features; the Advance Safety Assist (ASA); Driving Assist; Parking Assist; and Head Lamp Assist.
The full suite of these features can be found in the AV variant, which qualify it as a car with Autonomous Level 2 technology. This is the first time in Malaysian history that a car company is offering a car with Autonomous Level 2 technology priced under RM60,000
The next decade will be filled with single passenger mobility devices, autonomous cars, pure electric driven mobility and may be even the odd ‘flying car’!
Meanwhile, the humble petrol powered car is seeing its final days around the long corner (yes, it will take another decade or so before our personal cars will not be allowed into the heart of all cities and we will be confined to long distance journeys and suburban driving with our ‘classic’ petrol powered car).
