The 10 coolest car innovations that never caught on — via drivingdotca
Right from the very beginning, the auto industry turned the impossible into reality. A vehicle that could move by itself – could it get any better than that?
RELATEDThe Weird Stuff that used to be on cars10 failed car inventions we need to revive right nowAutomatic SeatbeltsSeatbelts save lives, but only if the occupants wear them – and in the 1980s, a lot of people did not, and so automakers introduced an automatic version. The company said it would be on the market within five years, but it was too expensive and heavy for any automakers to bite. Bose ended up adapting it to tractor-trailer seats. In 2017 it sold the suspension design to tech company ClearMotion, which promised it on a “low-volume vehicle” in 2019 – but we’re still waiting.
Flashing Brake LightsDrivers notice flashing lights, and using that logic, some European automakers came out with adaptive brake lights that flashed when they came on. But they couldn’t be sold in Canada or the U.S., which had rules against brake lights that flashed, or that got brighter if you stepped harder on the pedal.
Electronic Voice AlertWarning chimes seemed oh-so-yesterday in the 1980s, and so Chrysler and Nissan decided their vehicles would talk. If you left your lights on, forgot your keys, or didn’t fasten your seatbelt, among other things, you’d get a spoken scolding. The Z1 was a research project on alternative materials — its body panels were plastic – but when a magazine writer spotted it on a test-drive, there was enough interest to put it into production. The car had very tall sills, and a motor-and-belt system rolled the doors down into them, even when the car was moving.
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