Looking Forward With Jason Labonte of Legendary Automotive

When I recently sat down with Jason Labonte, regional production manager for Legendary Automotive and Truck Service, for my HartBeat Show podcast, I knew we had a lot of topics to discuss. Personally, though, I was most interested in talking about the future of cars. With all the Teslas, self-driving vehicles, and wild new technologies shaking up the market, I was curious to hear what an expert would have to say. Spoiler alert: Don’t hold your breath for flying cars.

“Really, over the last 10 years, vehicle manufacturers have evolved a lot,” Jason says. We’ve gone from having a CD player in the car to phone apps that allow you to start your car with your iPhone.

Self-driving cars aren’t coming soon — they’re already here. “We always looked forward to the flying car,” Jason says. “I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen … but we do have self-driving vehicles.” Today, almost every manufacturer has what’s called ADAS, which is ‘advanced driver assist systems,’” Jason says. Even Chrysler and GM have so-called “level 1” vehicles, which means they can perform one additional function, such as lane assist. And manufacturers like Kia are coming up in the market due to their level 2 and level 3 vehicles, which come with functions that prevent you from changing lanes when next to another vehicle. Then, of course, there are Teslas, which can take over the entire process from start to finish. Just type in a location and it’ll do the rest — even if it’s not recommended or advertised by the company right now.

“Level 5 is what we can expect in the future,” Jason says. These are vehicles that can drive you to work, drop you off, go pick up your kids, and take them to school — everything you could ever imagine.

Essentially, the next generation of vehicles is here. We’re just waiting for the average American consumer to be able to afford one themselves, which is also coming. For my part, I’ll wait a few years (maybe decades) on the driverless car craze, though I’m definitely curious to see what comes next. For the full interview and more, check out my Facebook page at “Tim Hart- Loan Officer” or listen to “The HartBeat Show” wherever you get your podcasts!