Automobile in the future will change dramatically. It has reached its peak and will soon run out of steam. It will be superceeded with better transportation technologies, just like canals by railroads and railroads in turn by cars.
In the coming decade there will be many improvements in a car - engine, fuel, materials, but especially smart internals. Sensors and computers will make it possible to co-ordinate car movement and have computers drive cars. People who want to take a Sunday drive can get a Sunday ride.
Large scale co-ordinated networks of vehicles will emerge, similar to projects like ULTRA. Cars may move from roads to guideways or string rails. Flying cars will be introduced. Innovative replacements such as Segway will become popular.
Hybrid cars and more advanced combustion engines (eg. gas turbines) will improve fuel efficiency. Toyota intends to have hybrid versions for all its models by 2012, including the hybrid Toyota Prius which is already available. Ford intends to make five hybrids available by 2008. Both Ford and GM have also begun to develop hybrid SUV's. The next step in hybrid technology is Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Hybrid cars could get up to 80 miles per gallon by 2015.
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