2O2O VISION OUR 20 PREDICTIONS FOR THE DECADE AHEAD

of us, one of those articles you re-read many years down the track and have a little chuckle to yourself. Hello to the readers from 2030 and beyond! But it’s something we felt we must do. As serial speculators here at MOTOR HQ, the next decade is looking mighty interesting for the new-car industry. Tightening emissions regulations – to the point of corporate strangulation – will form the core of the challenge, forcing a total rethink of model ranges and propulsion systems, manufacturers moving as quickly as possible to battery electric vehicles, abridged where possible with hybridisation. It’s going to cost them a lot. Petrol engines will become impressively efficient and lose cubic centimetres and cylinders along the way, while autonomy will further develop but won’t leave the lab, we reckon. More punters will choose not to own a car at all, turning instead to ride-sharing as the manufacturers also reposition themselves as ‘mobility suppliers’. And as for performance cars? They’ll get faster, naturally; still predominantly turbocharged, but smaller engines, more hybrids, more EVs. Expansion of model ranges at the top end of town, reflecting somewhat the times. But everywhere else, more chassis electronics helping