2019 is here and it’s brought with it a whole host of new car trends. Just like most consumer products, car trends move with seasons – so what’s potentially on the horizon for the year to come? Here are Money4yourMotors’ top predicted car trends for 2019.
Further growth of the electric car market
End of year figures suggests the trend of the electric cars isn’t slowing down any time soon as both consumers and businesses adopt ultra-low emission vehicles. The figures, reported by Go Ultra Low, reveal that last year one new electric car was registered every nine minutes in the UK. The fourth quarter of the year also saw 15,057 plug-in cars being registered in the last few months of 2018.
Jesse Norman, Future of Mobility Minister, said:
“Record levels of electric vehicle registrations clearly show how fast the UK is moving towards greener transport. The government has invested almost £1.5bn into our comprehensive Road to Zero Strategy, continuing to pave the way to a zero-emission future.”
Diversifying autonomy
Autonomous or self-driving vehicle technology has dominated headlines throughout 2018. Sometimes for the wrong reasons. But as autonomous technology continues being tested – with companies such as Bosch being given the green light to start autonomous vehicle testing in Australia to Waymo announcing they’re to build self-driving cars in Michigan – it’s not just the self-driving element companies are focusing on.
According to a report by CNN, General Motors’ subsidiary Cruise Automation has teamed up with food delivery company DoorDash to test self-driving food delivery services. This new step toward an automated world could be an exciting one for those of us too lazy to head down to the restaurant and pick up food ourselves, or perhaps relying on a delivery driver to deliver food on time.
Digital connectivity
New cars have dramatically adapted to appeal to the digital consumer over the last few years. With most cars now offering in-car Bluetooth connectivity with Apple CarPlay or Google’s Android Stereo. 2019 could see music streaming platform, Spotify, develop its own in-car music player to satisfy drivers amongst their 170-million monthly active users. This app could become a more convenient, safer way, to listen to music through the Spotify app.
Emphasis on safety technology
This month, What Car? revealed its Safety Award 2019 winner to be the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. The car, which received the highest Euro NCAP crash test score of the year, pipped larger and more expensive models to the post. The car, along with others, has been deemed extremely good at protecting vulnerable road users. The A-Class scored an impressive 97% accuracy when it came to detecting pedestrians. The car also scored 100% when it took part in the NCAP AEB cyclist avoidance test – remarkable stuff!
After this win competing manufacturers might take a leaf out of the Mercedes book and prioritise the safety of pedestrians and other road users.