Cars you'll be driving in 10 years

China is already taking steps to increase car sales. Transactions are expected to more than double by 2015, according to an April 22 forecast by J.D. Power and Associates. Last year China's government awarded the equivalent of one-third of the country's gross domestic product to consumer-stimulus and bank-lending plans--which translated into roaring vehicle sales and record profits for many long-established automakers, according to the report.

Those automakers have got some special vehicles planned to capitalize on that fervor. BMW is hoping its zero-emissions Megacity Vehicle and GM its EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) will become big sellers in Asia's big cities.

"China's rapid growth makes the automotive market highly attractive and almost irresistible to any automaker," John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations for J.D. Power, said in the report. "The retail landscape in China is going to undergo dramatic change in the coming years."

Stateside, drivers can expect luxury--in both small and large vehicles. Think along the lines of a four-door Bugatti and Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid. Bugatti, for one, is competing with recent luxe four-door entries from Porsche and Maserati. Porsche, with its super-fast hybrid, is hoping to capitalize on the growing hybrid market. Hybrid sales in the U.S. decreased just 7.5% to 290,280 units in 2009, compared to a 21.2% decline for all vehicles. They held about 3% of the US automotive market last year but are expected to triple by 2015, according to J.D. Power.

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Model cars

To get a sense of what cars we'll be driving 10 years from now, we spoke with automakers including General Motors, BMW, Audi and Porsche. While they couldn't divulge which cars and trucks we'll see in showrooms in 2020 (new-product specs are closely guarded secrets), the concepts they are currently debuting give us a pretty good idea.

The Bugatti 16C Galibier concept gives the public a peek at what the automaker will produce in the next several years. Judging from photos Bugatti has already released, the car based on the 16C Galibier will have blue carbon-fiber and polished aluminum bodywork, eight external exhaust pipes and a body-long spine that opens like flywings along the front hood. If the Veyron is any indication, the four-seat Galibier will be the most expensive, most powerful four-door car in the world.

At the other end of the automotive spectrum, the car based on the electric Toyota FT-CH will be an even more economical counterpart to the $22,800 Toyota Prius. The car is part of Toyota's goal to sell one million hybrids each year globally before 2015; it's launching eight all-new hybrids in the next few years. FT-CH will be smaller (22 inches shorter in overall length), lighter and cheaper--and targeted to a younger audience.

Image: Bugatti 16C Galibier - With Porsche and Maserati adding four-door sedans to their lineups, there's no reason Bugatti won't do it, too.

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