Let's get a few things straight, shall we? When 2018 comes to a close, the world's cars will still have four wheels. The vast majority of them will still be powered by combustion engines. And they'll all still have steering wheels. Sorry to disappoint, but it had to be said.
Even so, the coming 12 months are likely to showcase just how dynamic the global car industry is at present -- in technology, innovation and design.
Global executives may not like the influences they so witheringly call "disruptors" -- everything from environmental concerns to AI processing power that can cope with autonomous driving -- but these forces are pulling car manufacturers in half a dozen different directions.
It may be some time before we know which path is best. But 2018 should give us an idea of who's betting on which outcome.
Electric goes mainstream
This should be the year when electric vehicles finally move beyond being a left-field choice to become featured products in the glossy brochures of mainstream manufacturers.
