> On 04/05/2012 11:14 AM, scott wrote:
>
>> It happens with everything in cars. Electric mirrors, tape players, CD
>> players, MP3 capability, bluetooth, LCD display in instrument cluster,
>> ABS, traction control, stability control, flat-tyre sensors, rain
>> sensors, navigation, power steering, fuel injection ... the list is
>> endless and will continue to grow.
>
> And here I was thinking that they just make the same cars over and over
> again...
>
>> At the beginning manufacturing costs are negligible, you're paying for
>> the development costs. After several car cycles
>> (decades) eventually you'll get to the stage where there are no further
>> development costs.
>
> Cars actually advance noticeably in a 10-year period? Not, like, a
> 40-year period or something?

Twenty years ago, in car CD players were almost unheard of.  ABS braking 
was reserved to luxury vehicles.  Driver-side airbags were starting to 
be more common.  You could still buy a car with a carburetor.

Ten years ago, not all cars had CD players, passenger-side airbags were 
now more common.  Electronic fuel injection was now the norm.  Most cars 
now had ABS brakes, but it was still used by the marketing dept as a 
selling point.  Hybrid cars were a curiosity.

Today, most cars NO LONGER have CD players, all cars have 6 to 8 air 
bags, GPS systems, keyless entry, same, better fuel efficiency, better 
traction control, braking, automated parking, etc...

Car maker NEED to find new things to entice the consumers to buy a new 
car every 3 or 4 year, or they'd be going out of business faster than 
they already are.

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