From gas-guzzling SUVs, to hybrids, to fully electric luxury cars like Tesla’s, automotive technology continues to evolve and defy logic.  If you haven’t been paying attention to news in the auto industry, you should know that autonomous cars are very real.  In fact, cars that drive themselves could be available for purchase within the next few years.  Don’t worry, the San Francisco Bay Area won’t be transformed overnight with driverless cars everywhere on the road.  These vehicles will likely travel only in defined areas, during good weather, etc.

Last year, Audi was the first auto manufacturer to receive an autonomous driving permit in California.  On January 4, 2015 a robotized Audi A7 left Stanford for a 550-mile trip to CES in Las Vegas.  According to the pilot of the vehicle, “If this A7, nicknamed Jack, wasn’t advertising ‘Audi piloted driving’ on its side, you’d never know it wasn’t just another German sedan cruising down the 5.”  With computers, cameras, gadgets, etc., to make this vehicle drive without any assistance from a human, the ride was smooth, comfortable, and successful.  However, that was just on the highway, seeing autonomous cars maneuver through busy city streets, or congested traffic is a totally different matter.  This car may seem like it just has “glorified cruise control,” but either way it’s definitely huge advancement in the future of the auto industry.  For full details on the A7’s trip to Vegas, go to: http://www.wired.com/2015/01/rode-500-miles-self-driving-car-saw-future-boring/.

This big of a breakthrough in technology begs the question, what does this really mean for the auto industry and the way we travel?  Is this better for driver safety or will these advancements add to our distractions and laziness?  Eating a cheeseburger and reading a book at the same time seems like it would be pretty easy behind the wheel of a car that drives itself.  That definitely doesn’t sound like a safe situation.  On another note, what do these technological developments mean for those us who love driving and enjoy “being one with our car?”

Regardless of what the future holds in automotive technology, you can count on Peninsula Auto Body to stay up-to-date with the latest repair methods for your vehicle.  Cars have come a long way and we enjoy seeing companies take more initiative in full-efficiency, ways protect the environment, and amazing developments in technology.  The future looks bright, but we have to ask the questions, what’s next?  Flying cars?