4 minute read
AUTOMOTIVE TRENDS 2021
Words by Ren Alcantara
2020 has been a tough year for everyone, there’s no doubt about that. Despite the local automotive industry launching dozens upon dozens of new models, it’s still very much apparent that manufacturers are looking forward to this year to turn things around. Technologies we’re going to be seeing haven’t been developed overnight though, and not even the pandemic is likely to derail the plans of manufacturers to roll out the kind of tech we might be seeing throughout the year. Let’s take a quick look at what the car industry might have planned for consumers over the next 12 months.
Better features for the entry level
As is the case for all top-tier tech, features that were once available solely in the realm of the top tier will continue to make their way closer to the entry-level. We’re already seeing some brands trickle premium features such as reverse cams into the lower tier, so we’re optimistic that 2021 will see this trend even more. It doesn’t seem too much to hope for to have more safety features, better entertainment options, and extended creature comforts in the coming year, even in the more bare-bones entry level offerings manufacturers bring to the market.
More smart tech
This is a continuation of what we’ve already been witnessing over the past few years. As car companies continue to make developments in making cars smarter, 2021 will be a great year to be on the lookout for upcoming smart tech in the automotive space. All the major players have poured a lot of talent and time into tech such as driver assistance features and better connectivity, and we see even more of that happening in this year. The race to have more horses under the hood will never go away, but even that is changing, and the competition to have more brains to go with that brawn is heating up in earnest. More driver assist tech (think lane drift assist, blind spot detection, and the like) as well as better connectivity should be on the horizon. The top tier should have even better versions of the same tech, as well as some new features, perhaps relating to connectivity, leveraging the trend towards 5G and a much better data connection for smart, if not more autonomous driving.
No autonomous driving—yet
The pandemic threw a wrench in the plans for a more widespread adoption of autonomous driving all over the world. While some brands have led the charge and have rolled out tech that allows for that in some stretches, COVID has slowed the plans down to a much more cautious pace. This doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen. As we said earlier, 5G connectivity opens the doors even more. Cars right now rely on individual data based on their own sensors, as well as internal processing to crunch the sensor information. This puts a hard limit on what each car can do individually to drive themselves. With the speeds, and more importantly, better latency from 5G, cars can start communicating with each other, and better-equipped hardware over the cloud, on top of their own processing, making a much more robust self-driving system—though maybe not in the coming year. We may have to be a little more patient.
A general shakeup
Cars have mostly been used as a means to get to and from work, particularly here in the Philippines where the public transportation system leaves a LOT to be desired. With the pandemic-driven transition to working from home, this might change somewhat. This shift away from work-center commutes will give manufacturers a bit of pause and possibly rethink either how the vehicles are marketed, or the features that they will include, as people might be even more content with keeping their current daily drivers that don’t see as much use anyway, or start to look for a vehicle that is more centered towards driving for fun rather than necessity.
Increasing electrification
If 2020 is any indication, the march towards more electric and hybrid vehicles continues. With even chinese brands getting on the bandwagon, 2021 should see even more of these fuel-saving vehicles hit the market, with more models offering at least a mild hybrid option. Right now, one of the barriers for entry is the premium label attached to the hybrid versions, but once these become the norm hopefully this year, prices should start to drop, making the hybrid option much more attractive to buyers.
More aggressive digital marketing drives
The pandemic has created a new marketing move in the part of the automotive manufacturers. A very sharp uptick in digital marketing and online showrooms was observed. The manufacturers who made the pivot before the pandemic will retain their advantage, so don’t be surprised if you see more of their brands on the roads as things move forward. The connectivity and tech are ready, and we’ll see even more brands look at virtual showrooms, virtual walk-arounds, and maybe even virtual drives. While the experience of driving in person can’t be replaced, the option of being able to see things online does make the choosing easier, and shopping across different brands will be as simple as a few clicks.
Lots of competition
With a lot of growth forecasted for this year, brands will all be fighting for their share of the market. In this light, we might be seeing some great deals and lots of great features coming in, so if you’re looking to get a new vehicle, it won’t be a bad time to go shopping around, maybe with some of the virtual showrooms we talked about just now.
