At the various auto shows that have already taken place this year, all the talk is about autonomous vehicles. Just a few short years ago the thought of autonomous vehicles was a dream. It would be years before such a thing existed.  We had some cars that would park themselves with driver intervention, how could a car possibly drive itself? Now, practically every vehicle manufacturer and several technology companies are racing to the autonomous car.

This, along with the recent announcement of Samsung buying Harman got me thinking about the real future of the vehicle. Mix in a little bit of imagination, and of course, some ways for businesses to make some extra money and you can start to imagine an entirely different experience.

I imagine a vehicle in the not too distant future that is a moving entertainment room. For the parents in the front of the vehicle, the touch screen becomes a greater source of information. Being able to read texts and emails will be a no brainer. Additionally, the ability to surf the web will be integrated, along with all the apps that we are accustomed to on our phones. This is why Google and Apple are working so intently on the vehicle. They want to keep customers in their own systems and keep the dollars rolling into their bank accounts. Apple wants this with people downloading Apps for their cars, along with the music and movies they already sell. Google wants to collect all the data that would be collected by this system. Entrepreneurs will find ways to sell advertisements on these systems. Certainly, the vehicle know where you are by the built in GPS.  Having synced with your phone the vehicle will also know your preferences and interests. With that data they can push advertisements and offers to your in-car screen. This could be cheap gas that is advertised to you based on how full your gas tank is and how far you are from your destination.  Gas stations could even benefit from this by offering you special discount offerings, along with directions on how to get to the specific station. But wait! This is the car of the future, you won’t need directions. You will only need to give your vehicle permission to alter course and go that specific decision. Businesses can get you to come to them with barely a thought on your part.

What about those people sitting in the back of your vehicle? Well, if they are your children, they may want to watch movies or downloaded video. Perhaps, now that the vehicle is a moving entertainment room, you won’t even need to load a DVD. They will be able to stream it off the internet, or tune into satellite television. Directional speakers will be critical of course, so mom and dad will be able to watch the ball game, while little Johnny watches Sponge Bob.

The most exciting part of all this is the involvement of AV. Clearly, the vehicle manufacturers will be doing the installs of these system as the vehicles run across the assembly line. These companies will need AV and IT experts who are able to help design and program these systems. A whole new line of AV work. We also know that nothing works for ever. These systems will need fixes, along with new programming and system updates. Car dealerships and auto shops will need an entirely new level of techs on staff. Yes, this is the future. It is never too early to think about the future of your business however, and to start to plan for it.