Cars of the future: predictions 10, 25 and 50 years from now

DiscoverCars.com have collaborated with a mechanical engineering specialist, generating incredible AI generated images of what cars could look like on their expert predictions 

The years 2033, 2048 and 2073 are the focus time periods of the research, covering functionality, design and high-tech features. The expert contributed predictions regarding novel automotive materials, AI technology and sustainable energy sources, among other topics.

The expert’s predictions for 2033 included haptic feedback systems that could provide drivers with information by touch, as well as increased use of lightweight materials like carbon fibre. 

By 2048, fully self-driving cars could be a reality. Advances in sustainable energy sources could mean cars are solar powered or use solid state batteries.  

The vehicles imagined for 2073 are very different to cars today, with VTOL (vertical take off and landing) technology enabling them to fly. They could also be sentient and able to converse with their drivers. 

The images based on the expert’s predictions serve to illustrate just how exciting cars might be in the years to come.

Expert Vs AI

As well as creating images based on these predictions, DiscoverCars.com also prompted Midjourney to create images simply by providing the AI with the year or how many years in the future this would be and requesting a “realistic car”. 

There were interesting differences between the images. Namely, the expert predicted that cars would become bigger and might be able to automatically adjust their shape to adapt to different terrains and situations. In contrast, Midjourney consistently produced images that looked broadly similar in size and shape to a car today. 

The expert’s prediction of a car in 2073 

This visualisation of a car’s interior in 2073 shows the seats all facing each other, as the car is able to drive itself. Feature walls contain living plants that purify the air inside the vehicle. The interior is a spacious, multipurpose space that passengers could use to relax, sleep, work or socialise.

The AI’s prediction of a car in 2073 

The AI has created an image of a car that hovers off the ground. It seems to have jet engines on the sides, which could enable the car to travel at incredible speeds. In contrast to the expert’s predictions, Midjourney’s car of 2073 is not much bigger than a car nowadays – it looks similar in size to a two-seater sports car. 

Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com, comments: 

“The conversation about what cars will be like in the future is very lively – there is often news about how close we are to self-driving cars, or even cars that can fly. However, it’s not easy to imagine how this highly anticipated technology will look. After gathering some amazing insights from an expert, we wanted to use AI to bring these predictions to life. 

“It was fascinating to see how many features of these cars of the future already exist in some capacity – these cars are examples of what could happen when technology that is now experimental becomes an expected part of automotive design. The cars look incredible and we can’t agree at DiscoverCars.com which one we would most like to take for a spin!”