'DRIVE,' he told his car.

No steering wheel. No pollution. No pedals. New materials challenge metalworkers.

Most of us have stared wide-eyed at images of sleek, powerful cars careening at breakneck speed, empowered by gadgets worthy of James Bond. Or, we've marveled at land speeders and pod racers screaming across alien landscapes in the Star Wars movies.

Movies, TV, and video games are great for firing up the imagination, to start our minds wondering "what if?"

"The industry today is on the verge of major technical innovations that might be as far-reaching as the switch from horses to horsepower," says Don Walkowicz, executive director, US Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), Southfield, MI.

At this crossroads, fantastic innovations are waiting just ahead. Question is, how do we get from here to there?

Future shock

"There are a couple of issues that will drive changes," says Roger Cope, VP, Business Development, Lamb Technicon Machining Systems, Warren, MI. "Improved fuel economy--which requires less weight--and shortening the overall development time for new products."

A car's basic propulsion system will need to be revolutionary. An automotive holy grail will be a fuel cell that changes chemical energy into electricity and, in turn, powers an electric drive motor and transaxle which propel the vehicle. Fuel cells will make driving virtually pollution-free because, ideally, the fuel of choice will be hydrogen. When hydrogen bums, it produces only water vapor as exhaust.

Design and manufacturing advances will focus strongly on making vehicles more energy-efficient. Cars will become sleeker, reducing aerodynamic drag. Gone will be ferrous materials and glass. Instead, vehicles will be made from new ultralight, high-strength materials, possibly including CGI (Compacted Graphite Iron).

Mr Cope cautions that most light-weight materials come with the penalty of being harder to machine. Naturally, tool life is shorter but the endusers still expect parts in the same time--and at the same price--as machining with conventional materials.

"The automobile companies want to maintain the same level of efficiency using less material or lighter weight material," Mr Cope tells Tooling & Production. "But that puts a burden on the whole machining process. I think the direction we'll see here is the machine tool people trying to finding better ways to cut existing material so that it can be lighter and thinner, then finding better tooling--or more exotic tooling--to use on these newer materials."

Among the many possible changes in the way cars are made are a switch to hydroformed parts and, especially, laser welding, says Dan Stiers, VP; Business of Development, Lamb Technicon Body and Assembly Systems.

"One of the enabling technologies for alternative materials is laser welding." says Mr Stiers. Laser welding allows joining not only alternative materials, but also dissimilar materials. With its speed and flexibility, laser welding is ideally suited to prototyping because product changes can be made fast. Lamb Technicon also believes that within 5 to 10 years, laser welding will be commonplace on shopfloors and assembly lines.

"In fact," says Mr Stiers, "we're betting on it."

Tires will go far beyond the classic donut to become low-rolling resistance tires. Energy efficient run-flat tires would make spare tires obsolete, another way to cut weight. Eliminating the spare will also benefit consumers by creating more luggage space.

The personal touch

"The automobile industry is now at a point where we are finally seeing cars designed to accommodate the specific needs of drivers rather than ergonomics and usability being an afterthought," says James Hotary, special projects manager, Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, WI.

That means the next generation of vehicle designers will go far beyond cup holders and vanity mirrors. Automotive designers will search for new ways to make cars more comfortable, functional, and ergonomic.

For example, aging Baby Boomers will create a substantial--and growing--target market. When Boomers approach retirement age and beyond, many will find it difficult to get in and out of cars, and to use the interior effectively. In this case, design solutions might include seats that swivel and tilt for easy entry and exit, or foldable rear seats that allow room for golf clubs, groceries, and other items.

Another design concept that would meet the needs of a niche market is publicly shared vehicles. Low-income drivers, unable to own their own car, might benefit from time-sharing a vehicle with several other motorists. These vehicles could feature amenities such as flexible interiors, easily reconfigurable to the demands of any given user.

If getting there truly is half the fun, then automakers will give consumers big time enjoyment.

First of all, interiors will have more room because they won't be cluttered with a steering wheel and pedals. Instead, the driver will operate the car by using ergonomically shaped levers located on the console and interior door. One lever guides the vehicle left or right while another controls acceleration and braking. A cable connects the levers with the vehicle's driving dynamics computer. The computer acts as copilot, controlling the engine, transmission, acceleration, and brakes, as well as making split-second decisions in executing the driver's commands safely and effectively.

All motion control commands will be transmitted electronically, the so-called "drive-by-wire" system. In addition to enhancing passenger comfort, drive-by-wire increases passenger safety: In the event of a head-on collision, vehicle occupants will be spared from impacting with the steering column.

Drive-by-wire systems will be combined with Active Body Control (ABC), an active suspension that increases handling and stability while minimizing body movement.

Reflecting the media tidal wave that swept over us all in the 1990s, automakers will turn the family car into a veritable communications command post. Our entertainment- and information-driven culture will follow us into our vehicles. Leading the way is telematics-a seamless integration of in-vehicle technologies including car audio, digital wireless phones, navigation systems, satellite radio, television, DVD, e-mail, and Internet access. This in-dash alliance is called the Human Engineering Cockpit (HEC). At the high end of HEC technology are smart driving features that will provide safe driving systems, collision avoidance, and sense a driver's drowsiness.

Further enhancing creature comforts will be direct cooling and heating of passengers. Traditional heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems will be minimized or eliminated in favor of techniques that will improve the overall fuel-efficiency of vehicles. Among the new systems are heated and cooled seats; electrochromic windows and sunroofs; air cleaning systems; hot air removal systems; solar gain-reducing windshields; and photovoltaics.

'Psst! Wanna buy a car?'

As the Internet has changed society-and transformed the methods and channels for selling products-the Web will also change how the automotive industry sells its cars.

"We're seeing the transformation of one of the world's most important industries just as it enters a Web-based universe where information is king," says Brian Ambrose, industry director for automotive products, KPMG, New York City. KPMG, a provider of professional services, conducted a study of Internet strategies among senior-level industry decision makers from auto manufacturers and suppliers in the US, Europe, and Asia.

One executive quoted in the report says: "It's going to be about servicing customers rather than just stamping out cars."

No doubt about it. From design to manufacturing to sales and marketing, the automotive industry is headed for a ride down a whole new highway.

Just remember that, except for 007, ejector seats and laser cannons will still be void where prohibited by law.