Predicting the future is—and always has been—a talent that we all wish we had. It’s also virtually impossible. So, to combat our collective lack of clairvoyance, industry experts constantly hammer away at past and present data in order to provide accurate forecasting. The ones who happen to develop accurate predictions are the owners of a precious commodity. And if you wanted to investigate an industry that was both exceedingly dynamic and economically important, you’d most likely choose the auto industry.

Consider these US statistics:[1]

• The production, sales and other jobs related to autos are responsible for one out of every 10 jobs, approximately 13.3 million jobs nationwide.
• The auto industry supports more manufacturing and generates more retail business and employment than any other industry in the nation.
• The automotive and supporting industries accounts for nearly four percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

The importance of the auto industry really cannot be overstated. What we’ve set out to accomplish in this feature article is to take it a step closer and have industry experts analyze four key areas of significant impact: automotive technology, legislative issues, information technology and repairer and insurer issues. We’ve then looked at each of these topics from its current status, as well as its projected status in five-year and 10-year increments.

Keep in mind, however, that we’re not trying to predict your future. Neither are the experts in the following articles. You may share some of their views, or you may completely disagree with them. But one universal thought we ran across while pulling this article together, was that every one believe these issues will play a major role in our industry.

I hope you enjoy the articles, and that they get you looking toward the future.

Jim Dickens is General Manager of Auto Services Group at CCC Information Services Inc.

1. Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers data.