With all of the technological advances happening around us all of the time, it can be hard to predict what’s coming around the corner. That’s an exciting prospect and it makes us think about the possibilities of what’s coming up. With social media and 24-hour news alerts, it’s easy to stay up-to-date on the latest news coming out of the automotive industry, but until we get those updates about what to expect in the next year, it’s fun to dream. Here are some car trends that we’d love to see more of in 2020.

More personality in a car’s design

Over the past few years, it seems like auto companies have been designing cars that look just like each other rather than designing cars to stand out on its own. While it makes sense for companies to implement features that car owners like, it sort of makes it feel like everyone is driving around in the same car all the time. Bring us back to the days where different cars could compete with one another because each one had different things to offer.

Electric vehicles have also been falling victim to this “same thing, different name” conundrum. Between brands, there’s nothing dramatically different being offered. Even within brands, it’s hard to spot major differences; could you pick a Tesla S out of a lineup of Tesla Xs? Probably not, these cars look so much alike. We’d love to see more variability and more personality between electric cars in the next year.

More attention for startup car companies

Speaking of Tesla, it was a breath of fresh air when they started making waves. We’d like to see more of that. Legacy automakers are like old reliables – we’re glad these companies there for us when we need something, but it’s the new guys that get us excited.

There are a number of startups like Tesla out there, and they’re focusing on exciting things. Tango is creating commuter cars that are even smaller than Smart Cars, and you can build them from kits.

Bollinger Motors is set to release a line of electric off-road vehicles. Countless companies are aiming to get into the electric vehicle game alongside Tesla. We want to see what these companies all have to offer.

Utilize carbon fiber in vehicle construction

It’s no secret that automakers have been trending toward making cars lighter and faster over the past few years. Companies have been using aluminum a lot more than ever before, but we want to see what can really be done with carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber has been used in exterior construction such as lift gates and hoods, but we’d like to see what it can do for interior body components. Market research predicts the use of carbon fiber to increase by at least 10% in the next year or two, and we’re here for it.

Stop making everything so big

It’s time someone finally says it: bigger isn’t always better. While it’s important to keep crash safety standards in mind, and small cars are some of the worst-rated in those terms, but there’s got to be some sort of compromise.

Range Rovers, for example, seem to have gotten so big that it’s hard to believe these cars can fit in a standard parking spot. Let’s see more options for smaller vehicles that don’t compromise on safety.

Knock it off with the silly styling

Life is not a Fast and Furious movie. Cars these days are chock full of fake vents, grilles that are mostly blocked off and serve no practical function anyway. Parts that don’t serve a function are one of the most frustrating car trends. Just keep it real with actual car parts.

We’d love it if automakers would just keep things functional and stop adding unnecessary features to fill out catalog descriptions.