New Innovative Car Features

The world of cars and the automotive industry is one of constant change, growth, and technological evolution.  Think about it; we’ve gone from carburetors to fuel injection and from fuel injection to DFI.  Generators were replaced with alternators, coil packs and DIS replaced distributors, and those old, rear drum brakes are a thing of the past thanks to rear disc brakes.  Have you stopped and thought about solar-powered vehicles and Hybrids?  How advanced is the technology for those?  Now, there have even been several tested prototypes and concepts for flying cars!  Every year, the automotive world amazes and embraces us with a new technological advancement.

Have you taken a look at some of the aftermarket stereo systems available for cars today!?  Stereos are fitted with television screens, USB ports, remote controls, touch-screen capabilities, compatible for playing DVD and/or CDs, and let’s not forget their streaming capabilities like XM, Sirius, and Pandora—absolutely incredible! Even the tires and rims on cars have changed dramatically over time.  Remember, in the ol’ days, Rally tires were the thing to have!? Not anymore, we’ve graduated to the fancy, custom, chrome rims and rubberband-thin low-profile tires.  Look at all the different design patterns and types of custom, chrome rims available today—some of them are even painted or equipped with colorful ‘inserts’ that further enhance their appeal—and who can forget ‘Spinners’?—Those were insane!  Well, today, we’ll look at more innovative features of today’s cars.

Park  Assist

Perhaps one of the biggest innovative we’ve seen more recently in cars today that’s spreading like wildfire is the new Park Assist feature.  Remember how everyone hated the parallel parking portion of your road test for your driver’s license?  Remember how everyone still hates to parallel park today, no matter how long you’ve been driving?  And remember how we all used to say we wish the used car could just parallel park itself?  Yeah, well, um—now it can.

Park Assist, IPAS (Intelligent Parking Assist System), or APGS (Advanced Parking Guidance System), as it’s commonly referred today, allows the car to actually steer itself in parallel parking using an in-dash video screen, and through a series of cameras, sensors, and a drop of information from the driver.  While this truly innovative feature has seen recent success and positive feedback; it isn’t as new as most consumers would think—Park Assist has actually existed for more than 10 years, 12 years to be precise.

Japan, headquarters to Toyota, was the first to develop and employ the Park Assist feature and technology via their 2003 Prius.  Then, in 2006, an updated version was unveiled to a small market outside of Japan for the first time—no, the U.S. was not included in that small market.  Finally, in 2009, the United States and other parts of Europe and Asia were allowed in on the secret.  Today, major automakers such as Ford, Mazda, and Dodge, all utilize the Park Assist feature in their vehicles.

Pedestrian  Night  Vision

No, this isn’t something from Call of Duty, but you can say the automotive industry has definitely learned something from the military.  Not only have they learned from it, they’ve also implemented it into their vehicles.  Much like the Park Assist feature, this technology isn’t necessarily new; it’s just now becoming well-known, advertised, and accepted by and to the public. 

Cadillac first engineered the Night Vision feature in 2000, then, in 2005 and 2010, Mercedes improved it and offered it the E-Class.  It was also available in the 2009 BMW 7-Series.  The Night Vision feature marks an approaching pedestrian in red on an in-dash monitor.  If the car gets too close to the pedestrian, a second indication and/or alarm will flash on a Heads-Up display equipped within the vehicle’s front windshield.  Pretty cool, huh!?

Automotive  Wi-fi  Hotspots

Okay, you can’t say you didn’t see this one coming, especially with all the technological advances the automotive world has spewed out within the last 5 to 10 years—this was only a matter of time.  This one is pretty cut-and-dry.  Autonet Mobile, the first network of its kind, allows your car to become a ‘hotspot’ by mounting a router in a secured and discreet location within your car.  It allows 3G internet access with no regards to cell towers or tunnels.  Ford and Chrysler have already jumped on this feature with their UConnect Web and Ford Works Solutions Systems as they, like the rest of us, highly anticipate the arrival of full-fledged internet and web-surfing capabilities from a car.