A lot of Filipinos felt no need to buy a car during pre-pandemic times. But when the world was held hostage by the coronavirus, many are now considering to get one.
Mobility when there's no transport available has been one of the main concerns of many. And to those who are used to riding buses, the train or any other means of public transport, sharing a ride with strangers, seems unsafe, what will all the social-distancing protocols being enforced by the government.
Gone are the days when cars are used just to transport people from point A to point B. Thanks to technology, a car these days has to protect its drivers and passengers, keep him entertained and make decisions for him on the road.
Working with major tech companies, the automotive industry has continued to churn out the most advanced, safest and most comfortable vehicles out there, transport machines, which boast of smart devices, emergency braking capabilities, autonomous driving and better fuel efficiency, among others.
But it doesn't end here. In the future, a driver and his car will be more inter-twined to create the safest and more enjoyable driving convenience for all, during or even post-pandemic times.
Here are some advanced technologies that have made their way into our everyday rides, tech wonders that buyers may consider.
1. Fuel-Efficient Drives
Buyers look at many factors when getting their vehicles. Some look for the car's looks, others for the quality of the drive, and still others for fuel economy.
A lot of vehicles today offer impressive fuel economy. At the forefront fuel efficiency is Tesla, which has released an array of electric and hybrid vehicles that can take you for hundreds of miles with a single charge. In 2019, 2.2 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide, led by Tesla, with big car brands Volkswagen, General Motors and Volvo following suit and even the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, Suzuki, Kia and Toyota unveiling hybrid cars that are more affordable.
2. Better Entertainment
Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto lead the way in car infotainment systems because they are user friendly. Just plug in your smartphone and voila, you're all set. What you get is a simplified set up to access your music, maps, and your phone’s built-in voice-control features. Almost all manufacturers promised support for at least one or both Apple and Google’s systems, but not all trim levels will support them. Make sure your car has the right options to match your mobile devices.
3. Safe Vehicles
A lot of vehicles offer safety features that are very useful. Examples are the Adaptive Cruise Control, which matches the speed of the car in front of you, meaning you don’t need to constantly hit the gas and brake in highway traffic; the Lane Departure Warning, where systems use cameras to determine if a car has drifted across a marked lane line, giving a visual or audible notification (or even a vibration through the seat or steering wheel) that you’ve moved too far out of your lane; the Automatic Emergency Braking, which uses a variety of sensors to determine if a forward collision crash is imminent and automatically applies the brakes to diminish the severity or avoid a crash entirely; and the 360-Degree Camera, showing a car's virtual top-down view of your surroundings, and even the sides of your garage, providing an assistance while parallel parking.
4. Smart Cars
Predictive capabilities through Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are becoming more prevalent in cars, thereby personalizing the driving experience. Now, cars have become an integral part of the Internet of Things as they are able to connect to smartphones and take voice commands.
Predictive technology come into the fore via sensors within a car, telling the owner what servicing his car needs from a mechanic.