The most representative car at the show was the Honda Spocket, a tiny gnat of a sports car that's also a pickup, a convertible, and a clean electric. Some concept cars even demonstrated the genesis of the modular-vehicle idea, which can have different body styles for every trip. A record number of automakers showed small, electric inner-city vehicles at this years' Detroit auto show, including the Toyota e. Expect the same options for heavy sport-utility vehicles. If automakers don't rekindle Americans' passion for cars themselves, they will bring cars into the electronic community.
Automakers plan to provide a variety of rolling high-tech services.
If you can't beat the Internet, join it, they figure. GM, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz offer route guidance and concierge services that work in the car. Most of the General Motors and Ford show cars this year boasted voice-recognition systems for controls such as lights, wipers, and climate control. Ford's partsmaking subsidiary, Visteon, demonstrated a system in several companies' cars that combines GPS navigation with e-mail, Internet connections, and even stock quotes and news headlines. But the ultimate enabled car is Ford's 24.7 concept.