Wednesday, May 30, 2007

auto parts racing

The future of the automobile

Fortune's Alex Taylor III sat down with Bangle after the Geneva show to find out what the future of the automobile will look like.

How will environmental concerns influence the car designs of the future?

At the most fundamental level, sustainability is just a new problem to solve. I've lived under this before, whether it was the need to strengthen bumpers in the 70s, or improve aerodynamics in the '80s, or deal with pedestrian safety regulations today.

For the most part, sustainability will be solved in ways that don't show up in the car design itself. It will be subtle under-the-skin differences in engines, and drivetrains, and technology.

But if we believe that cars reflect their owner's personalities, then what we are seeing here is a shift in the value system for customers where they want to reflect these responsibilities.