Reality probably lies somewhere in between. Cars manufactured today are already much smarter than they were just five years ago. In some vehicles, embedded microcontrollers govern the ignition, transmission, suspension, antilock brakes, and numerous other subsystems. Localized data networks have relieved cars of pounds of discrete wiring. Side-view mirrors tilt downward so the driver can see the curb when the car is in reverse.
Adjustable suspensions turn luxury sedans into sports cars at the touch of a dashboard button.
Electronic brains in automatic transmissions use fuzzy logic to match drivetrain performance to the condition of the road and the driving style of the vehicle operator. All of these technologies now exist on production cars. And there's more of it to come. Meanwhile, the federal government and private industry will be spending billions of dollars on research over the next several years, often struggling to adapt megabuck military technology for affordable smart cars and roads. To achieve these goals, fully automated vehicles may one day ask drivers to yield control to onboard computers and an automated highway management system - and thus to the government that runs it.