What Will be the Auto-Industry of the Future?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gilbert writes: “The bottom left corner describes the state of play ever since Henry Ford’s Model T began rolling off the production line: You buy your own ride from a carmaker, head for the open road whenever you choose, and park it in the driveway the rest of the time. The top right shows where Jonas reckons the industry is eventually headed: You’ll order a self-driving vehicle that will pick you up and drop you off while charging you only for the distance you traversed (and without your ever having to worry about when the oil needs changing).”
U.S. Vehicle Registrations at Pre-Recession Levels
Vehicle registrations have been climbing steadily as Americans replace their cars.
A Future Beyond Traffic Gridlock
From TED: Bill Ford is a car guy — his great-grandfather was Henry Ford, and he grew up inside the massive Ford Motor Co. So when he worries about cars’ impact on the environment, and about our growing global gridlock problem, it’s worth a listen. His vision for the future of mobility includes “smart roads,” even smarter public transport and going green like never before.
Quotable:
“The basically simple things are best, whether it’s automobiles or diets or philosophy.” – Henry Ford
“When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.” – Elon Musk
“We loved cars until the ’70s or so. Then they became appliances. They turned into motorized cup holders. Most of it has to do with urban sprawl. What began as pleasure ends up in necessity, as so many things do.” – P. J. O’Rourke
