Industry challenges, global demands, and consumer trends ahead will define automobile transportation in the years

In November I found myself on a panel discussion in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and one of the people in the audience asked me to give my impression of the future of the automobile industry. I have to admit that I did a rather poor job of answering the question, and it really deserved more time than I had on this panel.

The automobile industry has literally cemented a firm grip on global cultures with streets and roadways that are designed for cars and little else. As part of my job at the DaVinci Institute, I come in contact with many of the people working on next-generation vehicles, engines, navigation systems, and power sources. The amount of effort going on in this area, driven largely by the desire to wean our nation off our reliance on oil, is truly staggering. But so far, no real disruptive technologies or systems have emerged.

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