Beauty and brains: The Merc's beauty is unquestionable. Now, intelligence adds some more spice

How Intelligent? Will automatically switch on and off lights and wipers for you, and manage engine power for maximum safety and efficiency.

Sensory pleasures : The interactive driving system monitors a variety of driving parameters for improved safety and performance

How Intelligent? Has 30 sensors on board that enable different parts of the car to talk to each other

If Henry Ford were to drive around Motown today in his Tin Lizzy, he'd be appalled by what's happening to cars. Customers not only care about the colour of their car, but want cars that boast of as much electronics on board as a space shuttle. Touch-sensitive gears, multiple sensors, and GPS are some things that most hi-end cars already boast of. And not too far in the future, you might be driving a car... actually, you wouldn't be driving at all. It will do the driving for you. In fact, a bunch of researchers in California has made hands-free driving already a reality. Their self-driven cars, developed under the Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (path) programme, pick up traffic information from magnets on a specially designed road and talk to each other via radar. There's no tailgating because the cars are programmed to drive four metres apart, and the moment a car comes too close, the computer slams the brakes in less than one-fifth of a second. Whoa!

It may be years before India gets anywhere close to that, but if you are on the search for a car that would put the Mensa president to shame, you are in luck. On the market in India are cars with more brains than your average plumber. The Mercedes E-Class, for example...wait a second. I think we are getting ahead of the story here. Let's backtrack a bit. You wouldn't be reading this story if it weren't for the Opel Vectra. Why? Because it's the first car that's gone to town with its "intelligence". The next step for us was rather straightforward. We wanted to find out why companies like gm were making a song and dance about their onboard electronics, who are the customers they are wooing, what are the other cars that have grey matter and, more importantly, just how intelligent are they? The search produced some interesting stuff. For one, there aren't too many really "intelligent" cars. Sure, there are lots of cars with lots of discrete bits of chips in them. But that doesn't add up to what we'd call intelligence. One thing was obvious, though. Electronics are not only getting cheaper by the day, but they also offer the only way to make the cars smarter and safer.

But, gentlemen, this game isn't about mere safety or efficiency. What the "drive-by-wire" cars really want to hear from their owners is just one word: aha! The more your customer marvels at your metal Einstein, the more respect it gets. And in the complex world that marketers inhabit, that often translates into bigger price tags and snob value for their marques. GM India, for example, researched the market for about five months last year before rolling out the Vectra. Says Vinai Dixit, Vice President (Marketing), General Motors India: "(Luxury car buyers) want delight features in their cars so that they can say 'Hey, my car has this'."

Brawn under the bonnet: The electronic throttle system conserves energy and space

How Intelligent? It boasts of an automatic climate control system and automatic water sensing wipers.

So, buckle up as we drive you through the market for brainy cars. Our first stop: Mercedes-Benz India. When you are driving a three-pointed star, you can be sure that you are riding on top of most electronics known to the auto industry. Its S-Class' 5-speed automatic transmission system will change gears for you, optimise engine performance depending on your driving mood, and in case you are driving uphill and a tad late to press the pedal, it will do that for you. Driving on a wet or icy road? No problem. The S-class' (or the E-Class', for that matter) Electronic Stability Program will automatically adjust the power going to each of the four wheels, and keep the car from skidding.

On bumpy roads, the car level can be raised to reduce bounce and above 140 KMPH, the car will automatically lower itself by 15 mm to increase stability and reduce drag. Think your seat isn't cosy enough? No sweat. Just find out which of the 14 ways in which an S-Class seat can be adjusted suits you best. When it rains, the car will automatically switch on its wipers. And when it's getting dark, the sensors on the windshield will save you the trouble of having to lift a finger.

If you are wondering why despite the S-Class' high-brow engineering we've pictured the new E-Class, it's because Merc's new baby happens to be more intelligent (read technologically advanced)-and cheaper-than the S-Class. For the first time, it sports the Sensotronic Brake Control system-an electrohydraulic system with no wires between the brake pedal and the brake wheel. In other words, wireless brakes. Mercedes launched the car within eight months of its debut in Germany, obviously to reinforce its premium image in the market. But at Rs 33.5 lakh a pop, will the car sell? In just two months since November 2002, it has sold 145 units. Says Suhas Kadlaskar, Head of Corporate Affairs and Finance, Mercedes-Benz India: "In the case of luxury cars, the purchase drivers are status symbol, luxury and simply the pride of possessing the best there is."

Thanks to every-day-low prices of electronics, cheaper cars are getting to binge on plenty of chips. The Opel Vectra boasts of an interactive driving system running on 30-odd sensors that monitor a variety of driving parameters such as steering, braking, and suspension and actually make them talk to each other. There is no cable connecting the accelerator pedal with the Vectra's 2.2-litre engine. Instead, a transducer does the job, reading the movement of the accelerator down to one-tenth of a millimetre and transmits it to the engine. Will the consumer bite? We'll soon find out.

Thinking safe : The intelligent windows retract if your fingers are in danger of getting caught

How Intelligent? Apart from intelligent stability, it has windows that "think".

The other two gladiators in the gizmo-car market-albeit with far less microprocessors under the hood-are Toyota Kirloskar and Ford India. Apart from the stability control system, Ford's Rs 16-lakh Mondeo has windows that "think". They retract if there's danger of your fingers getting caught. The Toyota Camry figures on our list because it boasts of automatic water sensing wipers and electronic braking stability. Says K.K. Swamy, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar: "There is no choice but to go for electronics, because they save space, keep the weight down, conserve energy, and enhance safety."

As recently as five years ago, a bare 5 per cent of a car's functions were controlled electronically. Today, that figure-on an average-has trebled. The multiplication of microprocessors is also due to a nagging problem the auto industry faces: the internal combustion engine. Despite spectacular improvements in every other area of car building, the IC engine remains the staple the world over. It's not the most efficient technology, but car-makers go with it because of two important reasons. One, it is economical and, two, it's practical. Says Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India: "The internal combustion engine is no more efficient than 40 per cent. Electronics improve it, even though the change is merely evolutionary, not revolutionary."

Tomorrow's cars will have even more electronics in them. But in his quest for the most gizmo-laden vehicle, the auto enthusiast is doing something completely insane. He's making himself redundant. Now, that's something the legendary Ford wouldn't understand either.