Automotive industry: where are we headed?

As a car nut, I love the internal combustion engine. Where are we headed over the next ten years? Should you invest in a “collector car” in the hope that in the next couple of years that the value will increase? Or just buy a car you like and drive the hell out of it?

The short answer, is buy what you love and drive it…who knows what the next bunch of years will be…

The following are my ten thoughts, in no particular order, on the automotive industry and the future of cars/transportation. The thoughts are very general and unfiltered, and over time my opinion may change, or develop further…

  1. More and more auto makers are trying to stay ahead of the curve of change that will cater to an environmentally conscious next generation of drivers, they are all trying to provide EV solutions.
  2. Oil dependency is in decline, in that it is in the minds of the future generation to use less fuel, in a hope to mitigate for an ever-changing environment.
  3. Oil dependency by every government is so vast (think military use of gas, or police cars) that for the foreseeable future the internal combustion will need to be used. 
  4. Mercedes has apparently announced that they are not going to try and develop any more engines as they’ve maximized how efficient they can produce engines, because the future is in EV engines.
  5. EV cars are getting better
  6. The drive for EV is probably in many cases to maximize profits for the automaker rather than for altruistic environmental purposes
  7. Our economies (in North America) are predicated on cars (and fuel based transport), and the development of cities and policy is very tightly entrenched in the automobile. Think roads as part of the city scape.
  8. People believe in the freedom of movement and transportation that personal vehicles are still in the mindset of the future of transportation. 
  9. In order to curb environmental change, the future of automobiles, in my opinion, needs to be so radically changed, or we will just precipitate a currently acceptable way of living, that is people can own their own vehicles, and charge them up etc. etc. 
  10. Long distance transportation needs to be thought of in the equation in order to continue to allow for the economy to slowly be weaned off of oil dependence. This includes, how we transport goods over long distances. Diesel engines are very efficient at hauling large volumes of weight long distances.