This survey, commissioned jointly by the Automobile Association and Corus, examines the expectations of new car purchasers and of industry opinion leaders regarding cars in twenty years' time. The persons interviewed ranged from 19-55 years of age. The views included that cars would be indispensable to life in 2020, few drivers anticipated that the government would have controlled congestion by 2020, and drivers expected leisure use of their cars to increase. Few drivers considered it likely that cars would drive themselves, but most thought that cars would be less heavy and more customised by 2020. Six out of ten interviewees expected government legislation to control traffic problems. Increased fuel economy and lower emissions were the most highly desired changes to the car. Southern people expected to have to use their cars more for commuting. Scottish interviewees were most likely to regard their cars as liberating compared with interviewees from other regions. 71% of interviewees expected their cars to cost more to run in 2020. Improvements in vehicle safety by 2020 were anticipated.
Abstract