Cruise control, anti-lock brakes, traction control – these are all examples of technologies that started life in high-end cars commanding more money than the majority of us could afford. But nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find a car that doesn’t come with them all. The same is likely to happen with many technologies that are currently out of our reach. But which one of these technologies would you most like to see trickle down to cheap cars in the future?

My personal favourite would have to be the dual-clutch gearbox. Make no mistake, the manual gearbox is still great in the right car for the right situation, but for a daily commuter I’d much rather have something capable of rowing its own gears. However, as of now, if you want an automatic, you have to settle for a typically slow and cumbersome torque converter unit. The dual-clutch solves that all, and many of them still offer manual control in the form of paddle shifters.

Luckily, this technology is already well on its way towards becoming mainstream. Volkswagen currently offers their DSG gearbox on most of their cars, and they’re certainly not an exotic manufacturer. Although that’s just one manufacturer, I’m sure it won’t be long before more follow suit.