Former General Motors executive Bob Lutz has made quite a few predictions in the past, but one of his most-repeated ones is a future where drivers are nearly inexistent.
Lutz took to his personal column in Road and Track to once again pen his thoughts on the golden age of driving, which may seem strange to think, but it’s no doubt right now. With power, performance, and fun-to-drive cars at our disposal, anyone can hit the open road and unwind behind the wheel.
In decades to come, Lutz believes that will be reserved for private tracks as human drivers become more of a liability on roads and computers outmaneuver and outsmart traditional operators.
Do you believe the age of the driver is coming to a close? Or is Lutz way off? We’re interested to know your thoughts.
Comments
Given the article above, this post cannot be liked enough. Well done fastyle.
Take a look at the ending of the last episode of series 13 of Top Gear, Clarkson hit this nail on the head in 2009 in a segment where he drove a V12 Vantage. It gave me goosebumps then, and still does (clip is on youtube).
There are so many cars on the planet today, I used to wonder how will it happen? The answer I’ve come up with is it’ll likely get forced down our throats with insurance premiums and legislation. We already sort of see this with those black boxes that some insurance companies will provide in exchange for a reduction in premiums. This concept on steroids can effectively wipe out fun cars by making people pay so much for premiums that they give up driving. Mechanically, there is probably enough inventory in warehouses right now between OEMS and AEMS to keep our favorites from automotive history functioning mechanically for another century. But like everything fun, it’ll get legislated out of our hands. I’m not being country specific here, I think it’ll be everywhere.
I have warned that the autonomous car is the next step for government to take even more control over your life.
The time is coming as to where you go, when it you go and if you go will be told to you by a bureaucratic administration all in the name for the good of society.
I am not a conspirecy guy but it is clear that al, the tools to curtail you travel to the discretion of others is all falling into place.
So not even enthusiast. People who may have always drive west on RT 66 or travel the PCH may want to plan that trip sooner than later as you may not be given the ability to do so at some point at your discretion.
This is all done for our safety but at the cost of our personal freedom. Once it is hone you will never get it back. If it falls into the wrong hands I hope you are happy with someone else directing your travel.
What is next Hunger Games?
1984 + Soylent Green + Fahrenheit 451 = Mankind’s dystopian future, even today, in many towns and small cities, the government is already the largest employer.
If anyone doubts David check how the traffic is down in rush hour on a abscure holiday only goverment workers get off. You feel so alone.
Add “Minority Report”
I just made a long comment for this article about Fahrenheit and didn’t even see your comment. Oops! That book was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the article.
I hate the general will of society and how people are starting to become so lazy that they’d rather have computers drive them around. I hear downshifting and high RPMs all night long on the main road because that’s the only time people get to enjoy driving without censorship ruining it. It’s like how the majority of people are targeting high performance vehicles for harming the environment whenever there’s more Honda accords sold in a month than V8 coupes sold in a year. Making every family car and SUV electric would reduce emissions by what, 70%? 60%? Autonomous cars will just put more companies out of business and more people out of jobs, and they will make millions of people very angry.
What do I believe? That Houston is underwater because of the age of the driver. Except it’s a scientific fact vs. a belief.
https://youtu.be/WeYsTmIzjkw
Now that is funny!
What about all the times Huston and Galveston were under water before cars?
This is not the first time and they have suffered many storms in the past.
The only reason there is more damage now is there is ten times more people.
They know the risk but they build on the coast anyways.
You do realize we are coming off one of the longest runs with no major hurricane strikes in the main land?
If one looks back on the history of scientific discoveries the number of modified facts is staggering as they seldom get it right the first time.
Man is not as smart as he would like to be thought of.
Enstien was one modest enough to know most discoveries are theories in progress.
What part of ‘this is a 500 year storm’ don’t you get?
And what part of Houston is not the actual subject don’t you get?
Tsk tsk.
My parents live in Pasadena, TX. South East of Houston. Closer to the coast.
They are doing fine, Pop’s did his due diligence being one of the original “Aeronautical Engineers” on the Space Shuttles, flight systems engineering (math not mechanical). He bought a house on high ground near the Armand Bayou! Quick run off!
I defer to scientists. Not Foxviews Fanboys
“There’s a scientifically accepted method for determining if some wild weather event has the fingerprints of man-made climate change, and it involves intricate calculations. Those could take weeks or months to complete, and then even longer to be checked by other scientists.
In general, though, climate scientists agree that future storms will dump much more rain than the same size storms did in the past.
That’s because warmer air holds more water. With every degree Fahrenheit, the atmosphere can hold and then dump an additional 4 percent of water (7 percent for every degree Celsius), several scientists say.
Global warming also means warmer seas, and warm water is what fuels hurricanes.”
Could all the manufacturing outsourced to dirty factories in China and other “developing” countries without environmental protection regulations over the past 25 years or so have made it worse or do we keep praising Barack for his 8 year global warming battle by pen and putting all the blame on cars, coal and Freedom?
Perhaps the steady growth rate of the human population since the dawn of the Industrial Age and the advent of modern medicine is the culprit. Maybe part of it is attributable to massive global deforestation to raise livestock? Shall we rally to build a Planned Parenthood on every street corner?
Science tells us that the theory of Global Warming is complicated, but one thing is certain: climate change isn’t strictly the result of muscle cars built by the Big Three no matter how popular it is these days to put everything into neat little boxes wrapped in Conservative blame. To claim that Houston is underwater as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution and modern medicine would even be debatable when taking natural climate change events over the history of the earth into account. South Texas endured a major hurricane that you’ve spun into a political storm. How mighty Left of you.
“Could all the manufacturing outsourced to dirty factories in China and other “developing” countries without environmental protection regulations over the past 25 years or so have made it worse —
Yes. Agreed. But don’t forget that WE polluted the daylights out of this planet BEFORE we outsourced doing the same exact thing. I remember cities with smokestacks when I was a kid.
So you’re attempt to go xenophobic is what all racism is — blame anyone but yourself. (This is Chump’s motto too.)
“do we keep praising Barack for his 8 year global warming”
More racism and blaming.
“Perhaps the steady growth rate of the human population since the dawn of the Industrial Age and the advent of modern medicine is the culprit.”
Yes. Agreed again. Now let’s see if you, again, say something racist or blaming or stupid to invalidate a good point.
“Maybe part of it is attributable to massive global deforestation to raise livestock?”
Good job! You stayed on point! Oh… crap.. wait —
“Shall we rally to build a Planned Parenthood on every street corner?”‘
Oh darn. You douche-nozzled there. Next time try to directly blame HRC. I have faith in you!
“Science tells us that the theory of Global Warming is complicated, but one thing is certain: climate change isn’t strictly the result of muscle cars”
You ARE an idiot boy, aren’t you? You’re strawmanning. I never said the age of muscle cars strictly gave us global warming. I said this —
“That Houston is underwater because of the age of the driver”
See the difference? I never said exclusively or strictly. And I never said muscle cars. I said ‘the age of the driver’. Cars. A point you grant when you go all anti-Cantonese.
“no matter how popular it is these days to put everything into neat little boxes wrapped in Conservative blame. ”
Who said anything about conservatives? Apart from the voices in Strawboy’s head?
Why don’t you stop watching THE FACTS OF LIFE and put your straightjacket back on?
Many things contribute to global climate change, how many container ships do you think are circling the earth at any given moment?
Antifa much, brah?
Fascist buttflake
While we may have autonomous cars in as little as 5 years time; one has to think that there will be manufacturers who will continue to build cars that require a human driver as does anyone really expect to see an autonomous Corvette, Porsche or Ferrari because if all cars are autonomous and electric, what’s the point of having brand loyalty when every vehicle on the road is essentially the same.
Cars are effectively the same when they’re all traveling on the highway nowadays. They’re all doing the speed limit or slightly over the speed limit, and their signaling the intend to merge onto the highway or onto an off-ramp.
Brand loyalty will still matter, as there will still be those who will find reason to desire the driving qualities of one autonomous car over another. Consider the interior build quality and ride comfort. Consider the entertainment options. Consider that some will be more efficient than others. Some will have luxury features and some will be stripped-down transportation. Some will seat 4 while some may seat 8.
There will still be brand loyalty, but it won’t necessarily hang on how fast it can travel on a highway, just like how highway speeds aren’t really important today.
Never count out the American spirit, Carburetors and home grown E85 aka moonshine.
Its the environment that will shift our driving ‘habits’ away from the norm. The ‘government’ will have to create laws and enforce them as most individuals in their selfishness and lack of consideration or caring about their downstream impact, won’t, can’t be trusted to act voluntarily in the best interests of all.
It is the irresponsible citizenry that puts us/government in the position of having to act responsibly_laws/enforcement_ , and the offenders will always complain like little twelve year brats in a sandbox. Grow up, if possible, we are moving rapidly into a situation that we will lose control of if we have any now.
Come down people, have a look around the cars as we know them now are way way to big of an industry to change drastically in the next 20 years or so, Yes there is a lot of stuff going on behind the scene with the government etc but it has to be small steps for them otherwise there will be a push back. As the new generations are born now they are coming into a different world then we did they won’t be in love with the cars like the baby boomer were, so in due time the self driving cars will take over but only in due time, I am 56 I will be dead long before I can’t drive my car where the hell I want.
If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.
Reg; “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.” _ That was the hope, and it was mostly true. My friends, family, close acquaintances, when they moved from private insurance to the ACA, were able to keep their doctor. Now some of those same people have moved into Medicare/Medicaid and quite a few were no longer able to keep their doctor(s).
“If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.” _ Simply put, a specious sound bite to leverage a certain demographic to maintain their political support and position regarding the ACA. Any reasonably intelligent and unbiased person should be able to see how bogus that crafted, agenda driven comment/noise is.
Thank Norquist and Rove for the the current BS that misleads and reinforces the bias/prejudices of that certain demographic. They would have been a good fit into the propaganda operation of Third Reich .
Tre Deuce, It’s just another example of government control. Relax.
Canadian political parties at a glance.
If a Conservative doesn’t like pickup trucks, they don’t buy a pickup truck.
If a Liberal doesn’t like pickup trucks, they tell you not to buy a pickup truck.
Conversely…
If a Liberal doesn’t like EV’s, they don’t buy an EV.
If a Conservative doesn’t like EV’s, they threaten western separatism.
And before you spout, we get nothing here from Ottawa or from the tar sands; everything stops in Quebec.
We hate you all, and we really hate you all for blindly adopting the ‘identity politics’ poison that the American’s have infected themselves with.
SAD!
On the topic of global warming, Earth isn’t the only planet that’s warming, indicating that the actions of the human race aren’t at fault. Mars is also warming, which means that something like increased solar activity could be the culprit.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/31/mars-also-undergoing-climate-change-ice-age-retrea/
One thing I’ve learned is not to put two links in one post on this site, they moderate you.
For instance, my response to John Heart on his response to idiot boy (above in this post) on the effects the auto industry has had on the global climate, see bellow.
Still being moderated?
At the start of the last century, America had only 8,000 cars and 144 miles of paved roads.
Thursday, Sept. 8, will be the 116th anniversary of the deadliest natural disaster in American history.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/galveston.htm
The second link!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2017/08/27/as-terrible-as-harvey-is-the-galveston-hurricane-of-1900-was-much-much-worse/#1364c722594e
And they want to charge money on this site?
One defiant word, one rallying cry, the last self operated mechanical conveyance, adherents screaming “I’ll quit riding when they pry the handlebar and throttle from my cold dead hands”: Motorcycle!
And riding one will be safer than ever.