Luxury cars are telematics laboratories where automakers can find out what drivers want to do with this new gadgetry - and how much they'll pay for it. I think for the manufacturers it presents a tremendous challenge. But in that time, several generations of GPS and semiconductor technologies could come and go. That lag time makes it difficult for carmakers to know what kind of technology to include in future models. For that reason, features are likely to stay focused on safety and security for the next year or two.
Automakers remain tight-lipped about future services.
But analysts say that by 2004, buyers could be looking at cars that automatically transmit diagnostic information to dealers, who then can schedule maintenance. Or telematics technology might permit a cruise control system that adjusts a car's speed based on the location of other vehicles on the road. Privacy Policy Stock data provided by Stockpoint and its data suppliers.