Precision driving: Drivers will adapt if carmakers adopt

Americans can be stubborn. While loads of great trends begin here, other sound concepts are borne abroad. I believe that national pride, at times, keeps corporations from adopting certain beneficial technologies. In America, we may have a “want to think of it first” attitude when developing consumer products, ignoring outsiders’ ideas.

When a sound principle pops up on the global scene, we should be willing to embrace it, copy it, and adopt it as if it were our own idea. As consumers, we cannot adapt to technologies that manufacturers have not yet adopted.

America is occasionally slow in this adoption process, and the evidence showing this tendency goes way back. Americans were still riding the dangerous “high-wheel” bicycles around 1895, even though Europeans were riding “safety” bicycles with two same-sized wheels. It took a German immigrant, Ignaz Schwinn, to popularize the “new” design in America.

Later, while Sturmey-Archer was making multi-speed, freewheeling rear hubs for its riders in 1903, Americans persisted with a fixed hub for another 10 years. A fixed hub required riders to remove their feet from the pedals when going fast downhill, as the pedals always spun. This made for some harrowing stops at the bottom of the slope.

American manufacturers eventually recognized the foreign bicycle superiority, adopted the technology, and consumers adapted to it.

Another example of our indifference to needed change came in the 1970s. Fuel prices were rising, and American vehicles were not changing much. Japan, already a crowded country with high fuel costs, was building smaller, efficient automobiles. That fact was not hidden, but at the time we took no hint from it.

It took an infiltration of these higher-tech vehicles from Japan to shock domestic brands into adopting real change. Once these foreign makes took over a third of the U.S. market share (1980), our carmakers began to adopt new principles. I remember a question I pondered at that time: How many speeds will the Japanese transmissions have before the U.S. realizes that five is better than four? It took a few more years.

Today, and in the future, Americans will need to adapt to ever-evolving vehicle technology. But manufacturers must adopt the better stuff first.

Again we can look to densely populated regions, with high fuel costs, for examples of how they cope. Diesel-powered vehicles are ubiquitous in Europe, China, and Japan. This more-efficient counterpart to the gasoline-powered power plant should be more prevalent here.

And don’t go back to the 1980s failure from General Motors to assemble an anti-diesel argument. That engine was derived from a 350-cubic-inch Oldsmobile gasoline engine, which went down in history as a mistake. It did give the diesel a bit of a black eye, but I’m sure GM learned its lesson. They have manufactured military diesels with success, along with a current truck diesel that works fine.

Many people don’t realize that well over half of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles on the road from 1975-1985 were diesel powered. It was hard to tell, as their engines were relatively quiet, and essentially smoke-free.

I think that from this point forth, we will see more diesel offerings from various manufacturers. By 2008-2010, there will be more diesels on our roadways, but they will have been delayed by 20-30 years. Again, we are sometimes slow to adopt.

Now, domestic auto companies have associations with, and ownership of foreign brands — that is a good thing. Within the same corporate umbrella, brands (both foreign and domestic) can share ideas and technology without being stymied over who thought of it first.

Besides the influence of cleaner diesels, new auto design must incorporate other items from the global think tank. Hybrids will continue to evolve and be a part of consumer choice. Application of electronics for engine and transmission management must be maximized, and use of lightweight materials such as aluminum, plastic, and carbon fiber must be increased.

The rising cost of fossil fuel, coupled with its diminishing supply, demands that manufacturers adopt the latest and best technologies. We must then adapt to those new ways of driving, so that we can enjoy the privilege of personal transportation for many years to come.

I am excited about the future of the automotive industry. We are in an unprecedented period of forced change. I hope that American manufacturers of all types have learned from the past, and will become early adopters of sound innovation. If automakers study available global innovations, and adopt the best of them, I will be happy to adapt to what they offer.