Update: The Google Car

The nice thing about being a futurist is that you’re right — much of the time!

Back in 2002 or 2003, I started talking about the concept of the GoogleCar while on stage; my theory was that we would see an organization like Google enter the automobile industry; they’d do this through the rapid assembly of disparate resources and partners, assembling the necessary expertise.

As I noted in a keynote in Tampa early in 2006:

“Given rapid science, hyper-innovation, low cost offshore production, and the slow response of other traditional business models … every industry today is ripe for massive disruption and the rapid emergence of new competitors. A big part of the equation is avoiding ‘legacy costs’ both in manufacturing as well as sales and support. Think FedEx, not car dealerships. Think smart engine modules that pop in and out, not auto mechanics. Think WalMart, not ReadyLube. It’s all there, and someone just has to pull it together.

Today, the leading paper covering Silicon Valley finally picked up on the idea in an article. And I can tell you — traffic to my website is exploding today, because it seems everyone on the Web is searching for the concept of the GoogleCar.

• San Jose Mercury News : How Silicon Valley could become the Detroit of electric cars
• Read “The Google Car and Massive Market Disruption
• Fortune Magazine: Detroit’s Worst Nightmare