Identifying the best trends throughout any decade, within any industry, and throughout all of history is, very subjective.
I personally love the idea of bell bottom jeans, but that is one of the worst fashion trends of the 1970’s, according to tons of people. Personal preference and societal norms play a huge part in what becomes trendy and what doesn’t hold value during a certain time period.
That being said, our picks for the top trends in the automotive industry are probably going to be different than some other peoples’ choices.
Here are our picks for the best trends in the automotive industry currently in full force.
Black Trim:
Many models are offered with a specific trim level or package option which replaces the ubiquitous chrome trim with black trim. This is a great look.
I often complain about “sport models” offering appearance packages without any extra suspension tuning, engine upgrades, or any meaningful “go fast” parts. That doesn’t detract from the fact that black trim looks better and sportier than most of the fake chrome trim so common in today’s vehicles.
I’m not a fan of Nissan, but I do have to say that some of their Star Wars Edition vehicles nail it in terms of adding a sporty appearance to their vehicles.
As long as people know that a black wheel, spoiler, and grille don’t actually make the vehicle go any faster, I’m all in on this one.
Powerful Engines:
No more are the days of the 1980’s when 6.0 liter V8 engines made 140 horsepower.
Technology has evolved, and that’s a good thing.
The Ford Focus RS, with a 2.3 liter turbocharged engine, is now making 350 horsepower. The Honda Civic Type R, equipped with a 2.0 liter engine, is making 306 horsepower.
Thirty years ago, nobody would have thought this was possible, but it’s happening now.
One downside to all of this is that internal engine pressures have risen, allowing for a greater opportunity to have something go wrong within the engine itself.
Still, it’s pretty incredible what progress is able to accomplish.
LED Headlights:
In my opinion, one of the best safety measures available on vehicles today is LED headlights.
They don’t do anything monumental, and if you are driving down the road, they can be quite annoying at night. But, they do one really important thing: They help you see better than regular halogen bulbs.
As a driver, it’s always a good thing if you can see better at night, which is why this is one safety feature that genuinely should be available on every single model.
Engine Technology:
A few auto manufacturers have recently come out with variable compression engines. GM and Nissan have patented designs and Nissan is already putting the technology in their brand new Altimas.
I’m not usually a fan of the latest and greatest tech unless it has proven itself. I want something that works all the time… something that starts when I turn the key and is reliable.
But, I have to say that if this technology and others like it actually take off, it could be great for future generations of car buyers and could prolong the life of the internal combustion engine.
Longer Maintenance Intervals:
One of the biggest pains in the world is taking your car to a shop to have regular maintenance done. It takes away from your regular 9-5 job, it costs an increasing amount of your hard earned money, and there are usually 20 million people that have scheduled their car ahead of yours.
Good news for you then… Modern vehicles are calling for longer periods of time before maintenance is performed.
Oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and other important preventative maintenance procedures are being recommended at increasingly longer intervals due to better technology.
Does that mean you never have to change your oil, transmission, or other essential fluids again? Of course not…
It just means that you don’t have to take your vehicle to the shop every month to have something done to it.
Even I can appreciate that!
There are so many things that I would personally change about vehicles today, but there are also a ton of things becoming normal in the automotive industry that are really helpful to the average consumer.
From safety features to preventative maintenance to personal preference, there are plenty of reasons that buying a car today is better than ever before.
But, don’t take my word for it. Just look around and see what’s out there. Our list is a great place to start.
