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The Latest Car Technology For The New Year

Even as our lives grow steadily busier and more complicated, automakers are aggressively pursuing new automotive technologies. Their goal is to add increasing amounts of flexibility and functionality. Some of most recent features can improve your driving comfort, increase your safety, and make your vehicle a veritable home away from home.

Today, I’ll briefly describe 3 of the latest technologies that automakers have begun equipping their vehicles with on the factory floor. Are they necessary? Are they crucial to preserving your safety? Maybe not. But, you’ll be forgiven if you feel the slightest pangs of envy.

#1 – The Rolling Hotspot

Chrysler is spearheading this feature to allow passengers (drivers, this isn’t for you) to surf the internet and read your email while the vehicle is moving. In essence, it turns your car into a hotspot. The feature is called “uconnect” and is expected to roll out with the 2009 models. Incidentally, if you don’t want to buy a new Chrysler, you can also have the capability installed at a dealership.

#2 – Adaptive Cruise Control

I’m impressed with this one. You’re already familiar with cruise control. If you have ever used it, you’ll have noticed that it has an inherent flaw. It doesn’t work too well when drivers who are in front of you are moving at a slower pace. Adaptive cruise control solves that problem. Once you set the speed, it’ll maintain it unless you disengage the system or it senses another car ahead of you. With a built-in radar and sensor, the adaptive cruise control system will slow down automatically to keep sufficient space between you and the other car.

#3 – Lane Warning

What may become known as a “Wake up, you’re drifting!” system, this new feature will alert drivers who are drifting from their lane. For example, if you have fallen asleep while driving, and your car slowly crosses the lane dividers, this warning system will sound an alarm. This features includes installed cameras that supervise the vehicle’s position in relation to the lane dividers.

Better Driving For The New Year

The new year is going to introduce exciting new features that promise to improve your driving experience. Some will hardly seem useful while others will have a significant impact on driving standards. You may not need your vehicle to be a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot, but it’s a sign of the innovative new technologies that are yet to come from the automakers. In my next column, I’ll describe 3 more automotive technologies that are sure to inspire your imagination.

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