More Than a Car

"Baby, you can drive my car..." sang the Beatles in the mid-1960s, at the height of what is often regarded as the longest period of economic, social, and cultural expansion in the Western world. The song celebrated what was perhaps the most desired object of that era, an object capable of embodying personal aspirations, freedom, and confidence in the future: the automobile.

Other countries, too, offered their own tributes to the car. Considering Italy, I am thinking of Il Sorpasso, Dino Risi’s celebrated film, in which Vittorio Gassman delivers one of his finest performances. Through a journey marked by speed, recklessness, and a uniquely Italian sense of optimism, the film pays homage both to the automobile and to a country growing alongside it.

Many things have changed since that time. Yet one thing has not: our fascination with the automobile. However, the automotive landscape is now undergoing another profound transformation. Electrification is rapidly becoming the dominant technological pathway, promising significant reductions in urban emissions and contributing to more sustainable mobility. This transition is both necessary and positive. Nevertheless, many enthusiasts would agree that an electric vehicle does not entirely convey the same emotional appeal as a traditional car; and the recent presentation of Ferrari’s first electric car, Luce, has confirmed this perception.

An even more significant change may come from the development of autonomous driving technologies. Experimental systems are already operating on public roads, despite the challenges that still need to be overcome before large-scale deployment becomes possible. One can envision a future in which vehicles travel at identical speeds, separated by precisely controlled distances, moving efficiently and safely without the need for overtaking. Such a scenario would undoubtedly reduce accidents, improve energy efficiency, and allow travellers to use their time more productively. At the same time, it might transform the automobile from an object of passion into a mere appliance, efficient but impersonal.

And if this is the direction, one might think there will be no need for treatments aimed at achieving superior performance. I do not think so: although the future of mobility is often discussed in terms of software, sensors, artificial intelligence, and batteries, its success will continue to depend on advances in materials engineering, manufacturing technologies, and surface treatments and processes. Whether the goal is reducing vehicle weight to increase energy efficiency, enhancing the durability of high-performance transmissions, or ensuring the reliability of electric drive systems operating under demanding conditions, surface engineering technologies such as shot peening play an increasingly strategic role. They allow manufacturers to do more with less material, contributing not only to performance but also to sustainability.

Technology will undoubtedly change the way we experience mobility. It may even change the meaning of driving itself. But if the automobile continues to inspire us, whether powered by gasoline, electricity, or technologies yet to be imagined, it will be because innovation continues to combine engineering excellence with the enduring human desire for movement, freedom, and progress.

Shot Peening in the Automotive Industry

by Mario Guagliano

Contributing Editor MFN and 

Full Professor of Technical University of Milan

20156 Milan, Italy

E-mail: mario@mfn.li