| Predicting the future is tricky business. | | | | they were right. Others placed their bet on |
| It's hard to predict the future of an | | | | electric vehicles. Needless to say, they were |
| industry, especially the automobile industry. | | | | wrong. Everyone has an opinion about the |
| 10 years ago many industry exec's thought | | | | automobile industry, but few can predict with |
| that mainstream vehicles achieving close to | | | | any certainty what'll happen next year, let |
| 100mpg would be commonplace. Jurgen Hubbert, | | | | alone in the next decade.Over the last 10 |
| once Chief of the passenger car division for | | | | years we've seen a new love affair with rear |
| Mercedes-Benz AG said in a 1996 interview | | | | wheel drive cars, more fuel efficient |
| with Automobile Magazine we will have | | | | engines, and safer vehicles. Hybrids are |
| "innovative new combustion engines. We will | | | | gaining popularity and the SUV is making way |
| have fuel economy between 56 and 95mpg". He | | | | for the crossover utility vehicle. 10 years |
| thought this would happen by 2006. Well, it's | | | | ago Chrysler was a purely American company |
| February 2006 and I'm still waiting.One of | | | | and BMW just bought Rover. Since then, |
| the more famous predictions came from a | | | | Daimler-Benz "merged" (read bought) Chrysler |
| legend in the North American auto industry. | | | | Corp. to form DaimlerChrysler and BMW admits |
| Lee Iacocca was speaking to Carroll Shelby | | | | buying Rover was a huge mistake (they have |
| (another legendary figure) in 1971 about the | | | | since sold it). Nissan is now largely owned |
| future of Toyota in North America. Shelby had | | | | by Renault, Porsche owns 20% of Volkswagen |
| just been offered a Toyota dealership in | | | | and General Motors and Ford are shedding tens |
| California and wanted to know why Iacocca | | | | of thousands of jobs in hopes of being around |
| thought it would be a bad idea. Iacocca went | | | | for the next 10 years.10 years from now we'll |
| on to say "because we're going to kick their | | | | almost certainly have far more fuel efficient |
| asses back into the Pacific Ocean". Iacocca | | | | drivetrains, widely used GPS systems, and |
| was wrong and Toyota has grown to become the | | | | more niche vehicles. It'll be a different |
| richest car company in the world.But not all | | | | decade than the one gone by, but as Yogi |
| predictions are wrong. 10 years ago many | | | | Berra once said, "The future ain't what it |
| automobile executives predicted that hybrids | | | | use to be".Peter Johnson is the chief writer |
| would become more popular by 2006. Clearly | | | | for all-about-car-selection. |