The car of the future is here, and it does so much more than you  imagined.

By Ezra Dyer

This year marks the resolution of milestones that were unthinkable even two decades ago. Right about now, a bona fide electric car and a plug-in hybrid are going on sale at dealerships near you — just about the same time that an Audi TTS, almost as self-aware as KITT, races itself up a winding mountain road. Within a few years, we’ll have lightweight, composite-bodied city cars that make a Smart look like a Suburban, luxury sedans that drive themselves through traffic jams, and 500-horsepower sports cars that don’t use a drop of gasoline, all of them networked to warn each other about traffic snarls and that fresh sinkhole around the corner.

In the past 20 years, progress in the tech world far outstripped progress in the auto world: Your $400 phone was smart, but your $40,000 car was dumb. That changes, starting now.

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The car of the future is…

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1. Electric, and Faster for It

2. The Plug-in Pack

3. A Car on Autopilot

4. As Connected as Your iPhone

5. Much, Much Smaller

6. Most Advanced Rides Available

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY MERCEDES BENZ