Published in the February 2019 issue of e“Die Porsche Kassette”

For more information on self-driving Porsches and more, please visit my website:

www PedrosGarage.com.

Happy Porsche'ing,

As Bob Dylan sang in ’64: The Times, They Are A-Changin’.

The advent of technology, specifically applied to our cars with services such as Uber and Lyft and a little down the road with autonomous (driverless) vehicles won’t just make our ride to and from the airport cheaper and more convenient, it is quickly changing our way of life!

It used to be that the average was 3 cars per household in rural America. The average is now down to 2 and falling.

It used to be that we (Americans) had a love affair with our cars.

Back in the 50s and 60s we drove to the movies and watched them in our car, at our favorite drive-in movie theater.

It used to be that we drove to get a quick bite and were served in our car, sometimes by a server on roller skates.

It used to be that Porsches were all air cooled.

It used to be that Porsches all had a flat-6.

It used to be that Porsches were only available with a manual transmission.

All of that had been slowly changing.

Now it’s taking giant strides!

Porsches are not air cooled anymore.

Some Porsches now have a turbo flat-4 engine.

Most Porsches now have a PDK transmission.

There’s an all-electric Porsche called the Taycan.

People are now cutting down to a one-car household and using public transportation and car-sharing.

Because the automobile is now looked at as more of a tool, in the near future the average household will cut down to one car. It will be an autonomous, electric, self-driving car that can take the kids to school and then come back to pick you up to take you to work. The car will then be used to generate income by offering ride-sharing services until it’s time to pick up the kids and finally bring you back home from work.

Here’s the reasoning behind it all:

Today the average American spends $8,900 a year on their car. (If it’s a Porsche, that number is a tad higher).

In many rural areas mortgages average $700/month, which means that car payments are higher than mortgages and they are paying that much money for a vehicle that is most likely parked for the majority of the year.

The average American only drives their car 4% of the year (120 hours in total).

The consensus is that with autonomous cars and ride-share, we will need less than 25% of the cars we have today to meet everyone’s needs.

The physical structure of cities and towns will also change. Because of our car culture, cities have built parking lots and garages that take up prime real estate. This will change as well and those spaces will be repurposed.

And the love-affair is over!

Most of Generation Y, Millennials (born 1977 – 1995) can’t drive a stick shift.

Most of Generation Z, Centennials (born 1996 and later) will have no expectations of even owning a car.

If you just bought a car (hopefully a new Porsche), don’t worry – once you pay it off, you’ll never have to own one again!

Woopee. (I’m trying to sound sarcastic).

Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume, trying to reassure Porsche’s loyal customers, said: “There will always be a demand for intelligent sporty mobility. At Porsche, the driving experience will always be at the forefront, but in a traffic jam or when you park a car, the driver might want to hand over control of the vehicle” -

The Times, They Are A-Changin’.