Predictions for the coming year in motoring...

[2011G6E]

OK, might be an idea to see who's got any predictions for the coming year in motoring. Someone...maybe me...will save them all and post them again at the end of next year and see how many we got right.
Here's mine:

* The Toyota 86: it'll become even more popular, and either Subaru or Toyota will bring out a turbo version (that ones probably a no-brainer).

* Legislation: It's been several years since the idea of banning vehicles over a certain age (last time it was for cars five years old, the time before that ten years old) from the roads for "environmental and safety" reasons reared its ugly head. This is normally brought up by one of the big car makers...Honda has done it, as has Mazda. Not to increase sales or anything you understand...no...of course not.
It'll be brought up again, as a discussion idea, purely a speculative thought, something government should think about maybe...and will be carefully watched to see how many people kick up a stink. Once a government thinks not too many important people (read: areas with swinging voters) will complain too much, they'll try and do something, as many other countries have.

* Road rules: I'll bet we see more and more stretches of highway lowered to 90kph in Queensland. Once again, for "safety" to allow for hopeless drivers.

* Another no-brainer...fines and penalties will be increased, the road toll spoken of with the same horror as a mass shooting, as the road toll once again falls the same as it does every year in real terms. Raw figures of X amount of deaths are useless..they have to look at deaths per X number of drivers on the road. Now in Queensland we have a "beat 300" road deaths campaign...quite some years back in Queensland the official campaign slogan was "stay alive, beat 515", the total of deaths the previous year. Even though we hae the lowest road toll for fifty years plus we can expect much harsher restrictions.

* The Falcon will still be getting built. The Commodore will still keep getting built. For now.

* China will gradually get its act together with quality and safety, and pack a huge amount of standard features into cheap well made cars. Again probably a no-brainer there too.


What have you got...