Automotive Insider

Driving Innovation: Recent Automotive Trends

Trends shown by the U.S. Auto Industry have not only been a source of speculation for consumers of the last year, but also (as sad as it may be) a source of entertainment. With the trends of late 2008 and most of 2009 showing depressing results, looking at the trends of late may just add some much-needed optimism to the industry. Let’s take a look at the most recent industry trends.

Sales- Outside of the buying frenzy caused in the summer of 2009 by the “Cash for Clunkers” program, U.S. auto sales for December were the highest of any other time this year. Sales of Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai were up (all by over a 15 percent), while only the sales of GM and Chrysler were down (by six and 4 percent, respectively). Beyond these figures, another promising factor is that automakers claim to be earning these sales, rather than buying them; as most cited a lower amount of offered incentives compared to those offered in 2008. As could be expected, industry analysts expect sales to continue to increase through 2010.

Crossovers- While the concept of a crossover vehicle is not new to the auto industry, trends continue to stem from this category. The newest of these is what auto enthusiasts refer to as the “humpback.” With a wind-swept look, these vehicles are known to have rear hatchbacks and sloping fast back roofs. So there’s no question that they’re a crossover, but what did they crossover from? Experts are stuck on that one. Some say they’re a scaled down version of a coupe, while others argue that they’re a scaled up version of a sports car. Either way, with manufacturers such as BMW, Honda, Porsche and Aston Martin, there’s no argument that they are in a class of their own.

Smart Cars- No, not just the officially named Smart Car. Paralleling an international trend towards “smart” technology, cars have not been left behind. With the first hybrid car hitting the market in 1997 (in the form of the Prius), hybrid technology has become somewhat mainstream. Beyond the basic energy conserving advances displayed by the dozen plus hybrid cars now on the market, a new improvement has been introduced in the form of now-popular “plug-in” cars. These vehicles not only have an electric motor, but also have a plug which allows the owner to charge the vehicle electrically. As of recently, it was reported that there are only around 3,000 highway-capable plug-in cars on the market, but many automotive and environmental enthusiasts, this is a trend they hope to see accelerate in coming years. To take it a step further, GM is introducing a vehicle which combines plug-in cars with an equally popular technology: smart phones. The Chevy Volt, to be introduced in 2011, will enable its owners to use their smart phones to control vehicle functions such as scheduled charging, driving range status reports and warming/cooling the vehicle before getting in. Inevitably, other car companies will follow, so this is a trend definitely worth watching.