In addition to fuel efficiency, increasingly more consumers want vehicles that are, well, cool. As if sensing a ho-hum lull, automakers are making sure the fleet of next-generation cars has a higher degree of personalization packed with niftiness: multi-media storage devices, video cameras and bleeding-edge sound systems.

Sure, it’s a significant accomplishment that increasingly more hybrid cars are rolling off production lines and creeping into the mainstream — but it’s arguably far from “exciting.” Yet consumers want what they want, which is more often than not the vehicle that is, well, cool. As such, the auto industry is making sure the fleet of next-generation cars has a higher degree of personalization, packed with what more and more consumers seem to want: multi-media storage devices, video cameras and bleeding-edge sound systems.

When it comes to vehicle personalization, not all cars are created equal. “In order for customization to be successful, you have to start out with a vehicle that looks good and performs well,” according to Beau Boeckmann, vice president of Galpin Motors in California, the largest Ford dealership in the world.

“People aren’t dumb. They’re going to start with something good and make it better,” he said. “They’re not going to take something bad and try to make it look good.”

Herewith are a few examples:

• General Motors’ 2006 Cadillac STS-V has a performance algorithm liftfoot, which monitors driver performance and road cues to optimize shifting between gears.

• Although intricately designed and mechanically complex folding hard tops are nothing new on high-end convertibles, Volkswagen is breaking new ground by offering such technology on its Volkswagen EOS at a cut-rate cost of under $28,000.

• GPS devices that display a vehicle’s position on a map are becoming more ubiquitous by the model year. Through its AcuraLink service, Acura is also piping real-time traffic information into vehicles. That means the navigation system can help plan routes to avoid stop-and-go situations.

• In the 2007 Dodge Caliber, the rear overhead cabin light doubles as a rechargeable flashlight; the glove compartment doubles as a chilled bottle holder; the tailgate doubles as party central with boombox-esqe speakers that flip down; the cup holders are lit from within, making them easy to locate at night; and a cell phone/iPod MP3-player holder flips out from the arm rest/center console.

• Volvo’s Blindspot Information System (BLIS) uses a camera in the outer mirrors to detect other vehicles entering blind spots and then alerts drivers via a small blinking light that it isn’t safe to change lanes. Likewise, BMW’s night vision system uses a thermal imaging camera to detect human beings, animals and inanimate objects out of the driver’s range of vision or the headlights’ reach. A tiny camera mounted on the rear-view mirror comprises Infiniti’s Lane Departure Warning System that keeps vehicles from straying into the path of other vehicles. (See “A Collision-Free Future.”)

• Audi’s newest attempt at iPod integration in an S8, dubbed the Audi Music Interface (AMI), appears to be one of the best at getting full functionality out of Apple’s iPod, while other MP3 player brands should work just as seamlessly with the use of separate cables; a second media slot is located next to the CD changer on the A6, S6, A8 and S8, providing a slide-out drawer to hold your iPod. The AMI will be available as a factory-equipped option beginning in November and a retrofit of the system will be available in the vehicles listed above in early 2007.

In fact, Apple said its popular iPod MP3 player has made it into 20 major brands, including Ford and Ferrari, allowing drivers to navigate and play their digital music through a car’s built-in audio components. “The manufacturers are jumping on that as fast as possible,” Phil Magney, principal analyst with Telematics Research Group, which tracks the use of electronics in new cars, told BusinessWeek.

While the aforementioned car innovations sound pretty cool, check out what BMW has on tap. Says BusinessWeek:

The car looks like the victim of some mad scientist’s experiment gone awry. Inside a research lab in Munich, a BMW 5 Series sedan is splayed open, with electronic gadgets and wires spewing in all directions. The project: an onboard computer that will recognize you, then seek out information you want and entertainment you love. While you sleep, your BMW will scour the Net — via Wi-Fi and other connections — collecting, say, 15 minutes of new jazz followed by a 10-minute podcast on the energy industry. It may sound far-fetched, but for BMW’s research wizards it’s yet another way to woo customers by personalizing cars.

With auto innovation migrating toward a much higher degree of personalization, it’s hard to believe that market share will be won or lost depending on what type of sound system comes packed in a car. Yet it’s this type of “consumer personalization” thinking that will certainly continue to help the likes of BMW and Audi attract and retain customers. Consider, for instance, a partnership between premium sound provider Bang & Olufsen and Audi:

The Bang & Olufsen Sound System has been developed, designed and crafted especially for the Audi R8, and that goes for both the visual experience and the sound performance. The Bang & Olufsen Sound System for R8 has 12 loudspeakers driven by 10 discrete channels of amplification and digital signal processing, producing a total amplifier power of 465 watts. And of course the technology is supported by a unique visual design featuring machined and anodized aluminium details — enhancing the attractive interior of the R8.

Pretty intense. But the Bang & Olufsen Sound System is also designed so that engine noise is compensated for, but not eliminated by, the music, especially during acceleration. This “to ensure that driver and passenger achieve the best possible driving experience.”

BusinessWeek uncovers the notion that 2007 could “be a banner year for the adoption and mainstreaming of new electronic technologies, from digital music to affordable drop tops.”

Autos of all types and price ranges are marching toward a higher degree of personalization. Is this the way of the future or just minor distractions?

Resources

Ford Fusion Stands Out In Customization Crowd
by Chris Kassab
TheAutoChannel.com, Oct. 27, 2006

BMW’s Dream Factory
by Gail Edmondson
BusinessWeek, Oct. 16, 2006

Audi R8 Gets Optional Bang & Olufsen Sound System
ecoustics.com, Oct. 6, 2006

Today’s High-Tech Cars
by Matt Vella
BusinessWeek, Oct. 2, 2006