Technological advancements have always been a mainstay of our business because they provide the framework for evolving aftermarket service opportunities. But as developments accelerate at an even faster pace than in years past, be sure to look in your rearview mirror to see what’s closing in on you.

This isn’t a bad thing. Our industry has an amazing talent for turning repair challenges into opportunities.

So, be on the lookout for vehicles with active safety and driver-assistance technologies, like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, collision-avoidance warning, automatic braking and brake assist, AWD disconnect, and traction and stability control. They are emerging technologies that will provide new service opportunities that can serve as new “profit centers” for your shop.

And, let’s not forget the growing enhancements to the internal combustion engine, which is here to stay, but improved with added features like gasoline direct injection (GDI) (on 26% of vehicles today, which will grow to 66% by 2021), turbos, and start-stop idle control technology (on 16% of vehicles today, which will grow to 50% by 2021).

GDI creates more power per liter of displacement, more efficient fuel consumption, and significantly reduces exhaust emissions compared to port fuel injection. GDI is also the current focus of most of the OEMs, who are looking to meet government mpg mandates.

GDI also presents new service opportunities, in that GDI engines tend to accumulate carbon in the intake system around the intake valve. A new issue is Low Speed Pre Ignition (LSPI) caused when poor-quality oil is put in GDI engines, since proper engine oil is hyper-critical for these applications.

You’ll also begin to hear about vehicles with automatic emergency braking (AEB), as 10 vehicle manufacturers (seven of which are import nameplates) recently committed to making AEB a standard feature on all new vehicles they build. The 10 manufacturers committing to across-the-board AEB — Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo — represented 57% of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales in 2014.

So, whether it’s active safety, driver assistance or life-saving technology innovations, one thing is certain: they will all be the pillar for additional service opportunities because emerging technology vehicles will find their service home in the aftermarket — and sooner than you may think.

Don’t miss the special feature (that starts on page 36) on The Connected Car by Technical Editor Larry Carley, who says that what’s coming next will “blow you away!”