Automotive Tech Breakthroughs '80s People Would Never Believe

Bluetooth
Early adapters had car phones in the 1980s, but none of them could have imagined a day where their car could pair to a phone in their purse or pocket and then talk on the phone using the car’s audio system. Today, Bluetooth connectivity isn’t only a convenience, but as more states combat distracted driving, it’s also an easy way for drivers pay attention to the road.

Push-button starter

At a time when some cars required two keys (one to unlock and one to start), the idea of a push-button start in the ‘80s would have blown people away. Sure, you could have rigged an ignition bypass to allow for such a way to fire up your engine, but forget about the added security that comes with today’s proximity keys. And with the problems that General Motors is going through with its ignition switches right now, some are guessing the conventional ignition key could be phased out altogether in the near future.

Paddle shifters

Forget the paddle shifters on everyday vehicles. Just imagine going back to the ‘80s to tell Porsche, Ferrari and Corvette owners that shifting could not only be done from the steering wheel, but the shifts were also faster and more efficient.

Electric cars

Electric vehicles have been around since the advent of the automobile, but it hasn’t been until recently that the technology seems to be catching on. While it would be fun to watch the reaction you’d get from plugging an electric car in back in the ‘80s, just imagine the looks you’d get from most of today’s EVs and PHEVs including the Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf.

Blind-spot monitors

In the ‘80s, most cars didn’t even come standard with passenger side mirrors, so blind-spot monitoring involved looking over your shoulders and hoping you don’t hear a horn honk as you change lanes. Many of today’s cars offer some sort of blind-spot monitoring that ranges from simple lights in the mirrors to Honda’s advanced system that activates a live passenger-side camera display when you turn the right turn signal on.

Hands-free parking

Even as active parking assist systems become more prevalent, having computer assistance to parallel park back in the 1980s would have likely saved many chrome bumpers from being scratched and dented.

Ventilated seats

Ventilated seats are great and all, but they would have helped even more back in the ‘80s from all the dark vinyl seats that existed back in the day.

Infotainment

Many people in the 1980s didn’t even have a computer in their house, so it would be shocking to see a fast computer performing multiple tasks inside your car. Trip computer, navigation, jukebox, etc., the modern infotainment system can do more processing than most 1980s-era computers.

Adaptive cruise control

At a time when cruise control on its own was still a relative luxury, imagine having access to a cruise control that could set its own speed depending on traffic.

Backup cameras

Having a backup camera would have been a nifty trick back in the 1980s, but it also would have been useful especially during the early ‘80s where land yachts were still common. Taking this idea up a notch, some automakers are even offering a full 360-degree camera giving a bird’s eye view of the car while backing up.

Wi-Fi

A decade before many people even had access to the Internet, the idea of a wireless network inside your car would have been pure science fiction. Today, many brands offer in-car Wi-Fi, but General Motors is taking it a step further by offering 4G LTE data service in most of its products for the 2015 model year.

GPS navigation

Finally, we all remember the glove box full of paper maps so we didn’t get lost on road trips, but the affordability of GPS navigation (both built-in and aftermarket) has made the technology commonplace. Taking this a step further, you can add to this the idea of voice-activated, live operator being able to talk to you or a small cell phone in your pocket that can give directions via Bluetooth.