They said many things would happen by this century. We were suppose to have our own flying cars in 2000. Jalopnik made a good point in why we have these bricks for cars. We can trace it back to John Delorean when he worked for GM:
Did The 1964 Pontiac GTO Lead To GM's Downfall? - Murilee Rant - Jalopnik
GM had a vice-grip, and was the standard for cars until the V-8 and "large cars" mentality had its killer grip on the auto industry. What would it be like if the V-8 and "big car" mentality didnt stick? EV-1 in 1989? Hydrogen cars ready for 2012 production? Gasoline cars only exist in junkyards?