Kevin Harcourt – Center for Alternative Fuels

By: Brenda Williams
Automobile production has grown from an industry of small companies that made simple carriages to the international corporations that now mass-produce advanced and reliable automobiles across the globe. Innovations and changes in any industry take time to hold ground, require the participation of the consumers, and have to deal with the government regulations. New technologies can be applied to one area at a time and the practical implementation requires many processes. As regards the automobile industry, any part or a new component for its full development may take a long time. Processing may involve years to incorporate new concepts into a practical use-able model. Time is required for multiple reasons such as, for designing, building and even for installation of production tools and then testing the new systems using mock ups. In preproduction vehicles to see what happens to overall performance, it takes additional time to monitor the pros and cons of the product.

Automobile companies and corporations are focusing and responding to the many sectors of this industry in quite an effective manner. The emerging fuel-consumption and air-quality demands are on the rise and need innovations. Diesel engines, catalytic converters, electronic fuel injection, turbochargers, high-strength steels, aerodynamic bodies, front-wheel drive, and other technologies are introduced to cut and maintain operating costs. Industry developments of the late 1990's focused on joint international ventures among the strongest companies and global expansion into new markets. Globalization has made it increasingly difficult to identify an automobile as the product of one company or country. At the beginning of the 21st century, the trends of global manufacturing changed with new technological methods. Computerized auto designs are producing splendid results and the search for alternative fuels and more efficient automobile designs is a subject of hot pursuit.

In the auto industry, researchers analyze market trends, consumer surveys, and buying patterns to determine what consumers want, and then suggest what kinds of cars to make. Before a new car is built, it must be researched, designed, and developed into a workable product. The designers work to shape new ideas into tangible parts or products. Engineers adapt existing parts for the new model and draw up new plans for a custom-built working example of a new design and so manufacturers build a few prototypes before they set up a factory to build the new car. Product planners monitor the process along the way and make sure that an approved new car program finishes on time and more over within its permissible budget. However, technology is still moving at a great pace and microelectronics seems fully incorporated in the future automobiles and may become as commonplace as radios once were. On-board systems are becoming available that enable drivers to find destinations through voice-activated navigation or make cellular calls using the computer. These computers can access the Global Positioning System or GPS and display maps to help drivers avoid congested freeways and find better routes to destinations.

In the future vehicles will be made of different materials such as improved plastics or composites that will reduce car weight, provide fuel economy, allow smoother surfaces and shapes that are more complex, better management, easy controls and safety in cases of crash.

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