Some of these are already available piecemeal in other premium vehicles or as aftermarket products. And arguably lots more of this cool stuff will filter down to mere mortal cars soon.
FIRST ENCOUNTER: Just approaching this car, you can feel that magical James Bond spy car/Batmobile vibe.
The car automatically unlocks itself when it senses the keyfob in your pocket. The motorized rear "boatstail" lid (you know it as the trunk) floats up at the touch of a fob button.
Settle in and close the door. The driver-side window automatically lifts a tad to make a tighter seal. The steering wheel drops into your favorite position.
Tap the start button and the outside, motorized side mirrors (kinda pointy like, um, bat ears) flip out into position. A big, full-color Driver Information Screen slides out of its hiding place on the dashboard, flips up and illuminates. Motorized speakers magically rise out of the dash to your left and right, if you've sprung for the $5,900 Bang & Olufsen audio system.
Put the A7 into reverse to back out of the garage. The radio mutes automatically and variable beeping noises (from different car locations) let you know how dangerously close you are to hitting something.
The screen display has now shifted to offer a rear camera view. Warning stripes on the screen point out potential obstacles and also paint a path of how you'll enter the street with the wheel in its current position.
Once in the clear and shifted into drive, the display screen now shows other functions, and the music comes back on from radio tuners, CD or the built-in 20 GB hard drive. You won't see the picture on a DVD disk, though, unless you've got the car in park.
