• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 12, 2019

Cars are going to become increasingly more “connected,” though cars driving themselves is another story.

Adding more technology to cars is hardly new, but some innovations in hardware and software are likely to become available for older cars.

That’s among the top Cars.com predictions of where cars are heading in the next decade.

The expectation is that electronics in cars will be automatically updated and fully connected.

“This could ultimately lead to an ‘immortal’ car being born, but that would require a fundamental change in philosophy from the current model, which is planned obsolescence and replacement,” statesJoe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Cars.com.

Growth of electric vehicles is predicted to continue but not become mainstream in the next decade. Overall use is expected to lag due to consistently low gas prices, lack of public infrastructure and the recent EPA California ruling, according to the report.

The trends report also doesn’t see much hope for self-driving cars any time soon.

“Technically, nothing is stopping a fully autonomous car from driving down Main Street today under favorable conditions, but we don’t foresee widespread adoption and affordability for the average consumer in this decade,” states Cars.com

The in-store experience is seen colliding with online commerce, with most vehicle transactions moving online in the next decade, but with shoppers still working with dealers, even to just check out the latest in-car tech.

New car prices are reaching an all-time high with expectations of that continuing, with six- and seven-year car loans becoming the norm, leading to more leasing and purchasing of certified pre-owned cars.

All that new tech isn’t cheap.

The marketing of new cars is about to become more challenging.