The automotive world is taken for one, if not the most important transition in its history. This transition began not so long ago. Going back ten years, we were just starting to talk about adaptive cruise control, high-definition screens were not yet democratized, and hybrid cars were considered the future.

Today, our cars are overflowing with sensors, automated driving is no longer reserved for large and luxurious sedans, infotainment systems look like computers, while hybrids are already doomed.

And tomorrow? What other changes will take place over the next five years? How will technologies develop further and how will we approach them?

The importance of software

Already today, technology is becoming more and more important when choosing a new car. And it’s not just focused on the infotainment system. For example, are you familiar with “software-defined vehicles”, which translates to “software-defined vehicles” in French. What does it mean ?

It’s relatively simple. The main characteristics of the car will be not only its shape, size and engine type, but also in the amount and nature of the software and technologies it integratesof course, with a good dose of artificial intelligence.

Manufacturers did not wait for ChatGPT to integrate artificial intelligence into their cars. In Mercedes, for example, the car can learn your habits to then offer you a better experience while on board and automate the whole process (heating to a certain temperature, navigation that is activated automatically if the trip is daily, etc.).

Cars will also be able, for example, to carry out automatic diagnostics in the event of a malfunction. They can then automatically schedule a meeting with the manufacturer to resolve the issue. Manufacturers will also be able to provide personalized services to their customers by modifying or updating software. And that brings us to the second point.

The end of “old” cars?

The term is a bit caricature, it is better to say that in the future, there will be no more cars with outdated software. Already today, OTA (over-the-air) updates allow you to download newer versions directly from the car to update certain features or fix certain malfunctions. This is exactly what the tech giants are doing with our smartphones today.

In the future, customers will be able to upgrade their car at will, as well as unlock certain options permanently or only on request, for example for the weekend. In BMW, for example, you can subscribe to unlock the option of heated seats. It’s a bit of a bummer knowing that the option is actually already in the car when you buy it. It is simply “locked” electronically, so you pay a certain amount to be able to unlock it.

As Volvo pointed out a few weeks ago, the restyling of the cars we know today will also change a lot. Manufacturers will focus much less on the aesthetic part, but more about the technological aspect.

Our cars will be electric

It’s no secret that our cars of tomorrow will be electric. In Europe more than ever, moreover, from 2035 we will no longer be able to buy new thermal or hybrid cars. We have 12 years left, but that’s not much in the automotive industry.

Between them will be the new Euro-7 standard, which is criticized by many and seems to be ignored by the vast majority of manufacturers, who intend to switch directly to electricity instead of pushing hard to make internal combustion engines cleaner, which are doomed anyway.

Therefore, in five years, it will be increasingly difficult to find models equipped with internal combustion engines, especially for our regular cars. At Renault, for example, the new electric R5 should gradually take over the Renault Clio, while at Peugeot the power balance between heat 208 and e-208 will change.

Electric car, generator of tomorrow?

This is a “car charger” technology, and it allows you to charge other devices, such as an electric bike, scooter or computer, thanks to your car’s battery. V2L is already available on some models, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, for example, and should become more common across all vehicles over the next few years.

Renault has also recently introduced technology that goes in this direction, with a new charger that can also be bi-directional, meaning the energy stored in the battery can be fed back into the grid or used to meet the energy needs of the autonomous system. house (if it is equipped with a two-way meter). This is V2G technology, literally “car to network”.

In the event of peak energy production, cars equipped with V2G technology can store additional energy in their batteries, and thus recover energy when the grid needs it. This is what is already done, for example, by the Nissan Leaf or, in the same spirit, with the virtual power plants of Tesla and the Chinese manufacturer Nio.

Will we still buy a car?

Buy a new car? It’s still a big deal for some, but for Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012), owning a vehicle is no longer necessarily a priority.

Some manufacturers have understood this and are already adapting. Over the next few years, the number of subscription car offerings will increase, like what Lynk & Co. already offers. These formulas go beyond long-term leases, as the car is paid monthly as if it were a lease. , but the trick is that you only take it when you need it. When you no longer need it, you cancel your subscription, such as with a streaming service.

For daily use, customers will turn to a variety of car sharing services, which are starting to develop almost everywhere, while very short-term rental formulas are also becoming more popular. Stellantis also has a special service for this type of service called Free2move which allows you to rent cars or trucks for a very short period of time.

Nothing really revolutionary as it’s a simple replacement for a car rental agency, but Free2move goes further by also offering self-service cars, parking offers and the option to book a VTC driver.