We'll assume you're sitting in your bomb shelter, eating canned beans, and reading this by candlelight in the aftermath of the turn of the millennium. While we've done our best to avoid the millennium craze, with all the associated over-hyping that companies from McDonald's to Cheerios are jumping on board with, we did seize the opportunity to talk our way behind closed doors at DaimlerChrysler. Our mission-to take a peek at the future of automobiles.
That's a simple objective, but it really is much more complex. The automobile is roughly 100 years old. Since its inception, it has changed from an absurd idea to a way of life in the United States. It is a status symbol, a tool for industry, a key element in war, and a means of freedom. What shape will it take in the future and what elemental changes can we expect to see?
Vehicle manufacturers are faced with a multitude of challenges in producing, marketing, and selling their products. First and foremost, the product must meet customers' needs. These needs are confusing enough and vary greatly, which is why there are so many different models available. In addition, the vehicles have to fulfill the customers' desires. This is especially difficult because most people can't tell you what they desire in a car or truck. The left side of the brain is easier to satisfy: People know they need comfortable seating for five, the ability to tow 5,500 pounds, and get 18 mpg. But what do they want? What will satisfy the right side of the brain? That's where exterior and interior styling come into play, and it's also why we have Vipers.
Those are aspects that every company faces when offering products for sale, but automobile manufacturers have to produce vehicles that meet government safety and emissions standards, as well as a slew of other mandates. And sometimes, especially in the case of big 4x4 trucks and sport utilities, these are serious challenges.
How will the customers' needs and desires change in the future? How will manufacturers change their products to meet these needs and desires, while still complying with the increasingly stringent safety and emissions regulations? Those were the questions we posed to DaimlerChrysler senior managers.
How has the automotive market changed in the past 15 years?Julow: Various car companies decided to take a different approach to the light-truck market in the mid '80s, specifically in small pickups such as the Jeep Cherokees and S-10 Blazers. There was a fundamental decision that these vehicles would depart from a traditionally very functional market to one which would have creature comforts such as the passenger cars had. No longer would these vehicles have steel dashes and a horrible buck-board ride. These vehicles still had to perform for whatever purpose they were built, but they weren't going to punish the passengers for that purpose.
This change has allowed the explosion of crossover vehicles-those that are taking car households into the light-duty truck markets.
These vehicles don't have to be a pain to drive just because I want to haul hay or a dog kennel. It can ride as nice and be as luxurious as the car I just traded in, and in some cases, nicer.