Top 10 Ways Your Car Has Changed Over the Past 10 Years
The auto industry has greatly evolved over time. According to Ford, here are the top ten ways your car has changed over the past ten years.
Infotainment:
Vehicle options 10 years ago, such as in-dash compact disc players and speed control systems, are now standard features. Consumers’ desire to have constant access to information helped spawn technologies such as voice-activated controls, real-time traffic and Wi-Fi mobile hot spots now found on many 2011 Ford products.
Entertainment:
Today consumers have a wide variety of compact ways to be entertained while behind the wheel. Today, more than half of new passenger cars are equipped with the service, according to Ward’s Auto. Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC can stream Internet radio like Pandora or can play music from USB plugged-in digital music players or memory sticks.
Taking out the guesswork:
Today’s vehicles are equipped with new technologies that make driving easier, including self-parallel parking, rear back-up cameras and rain-sensing wipers. Terrain management, a new Ford feature available on the 2011 Explorer, lets the driver select the type of terrain the vehicle is driving through, such as sand, snow or pavement, and the vehicle then adjusts wheel spin, throttle inputs and other inputs accordingly.
Accident avoidance:
In 2000, the average car had at least two airbags. Today, most vehicles have at least four, with some models equipped with up to 10 airbags. The airbags themselves also have improved. Ford is the first automaker to introduce inflatable second row safety belts. The biggest change, however, is in the area of accident avoidance. For example, Ford’s new Curve Control, available on the 2011 Explorer, monitors a driver’s speed entering fast, sharp corners then corrects the vehicle or the cross-traffic alert to sense oncoming traffic when the driver is backing out of a parking spot.
Fuel economy:
The most popular models in 2000 were trucks and in 2009 were small passenger cars. According to the EPA, fuel economy between 2000 and 2010 improved for the industry from 19.8 mpg to 22.5 mpg; a 14 percent improvement. An increasing number of consumers are also choosing smaller four-cylinders. The percentage of fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines increased from 31.7 percent to 48.4 percent between 2000 and 2010.
Built-in navigation:
Navigation systems are integrated into vehicles and are much more comprehensive today. According to Berg Insight Research, there are an estimated 150 million in-dash, aftermarket, compact personal and navigation-enabled mobile guidance devices used globally.
Creature comforts:
Consumers today enjoy better interior materials, sleeker interior designs, heated and cooled seats that automatically adjust driver position, remote start and more storage capacity all offer more comfort and convenience.Customization:Ford has added features in its vehicles such as ambient lighting colors that can be changed to fit the driver’s mood, driver’s seats with customizable settings that adjust automatically with the push of a button, even decal kits for the new Fiesta.
Security:
Keyless remotes, alarms, warning systems and anti-theft systems have come a long way toward making life on the go safer for many. For example, Ford and Lincoln vehicles come with technologies such as SYNC’s 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report, or MyKey which allows parents to restrict vehicle speeds when a teen driver is behind the wheel.
Paint colors:
Brighter, more vibrant paint colors are edging their way into consumers’ hearts. Black and silver still top the list, but colors like Lime Squeeze found on the Ford Fiesta or Yellow Blaze found on the new Focus have become more popular. New paints mixed with glass or metal flecks have also changed the way cars look.
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