CHICAGO — Bill Haas doubts that you’ll see a Mecedes Benz SLR Coupe in your shop or get a call for parts from a shop customer any time soon.

With a $490,000 price tag, the vehicle features some of the highest technology in the automotive industry. Haas, vice president of training and education for the Automotive Service Association (ASA), described the 230 control modules and said they’re constantly talking and interacting on this high-end vehicle.

“But we’re going to see the technology from this vehicle migrating to other vehicles that are already in the service bay or will be there tomorrow,” Haas says. He highlighted this and other vehicle technologies to go fast, stop quickly and running on other fuels in his presentation “Vehicle Technology – You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” during the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS).

Vehicle technologies directly impact the shop, and Haas warns that if shops don’t recognize this, they won’t be able to remain profitable.

“We really need shops to evolve and accept those technologies,” he adds. “And that’s part of the profitability thing. If they evolve, they’re still profitable.”

But there are technologies that you will be seeing in your shops and on parts orders sooner than later, such as an eight-speed transmission. Haas says one thing with this to note is that the transmission size does not change, meaning car makers will not have to change chassis sizes to incorporate this.

And the benefits of an eight-speed transmission include improved fuel economy by 6 percent when compared to a six-speed transmission and up 14 percent when compared to a five-speed.

Direct shift gearboxes also are new technology. Two input shafts that pre-engage a gear; the clutch is used to engage and disengage the input shafts. Haas says this means there is no torque interruption on the gears.

“They can accomplish that shift in eight milliseconds,” he says, adding that Porsche developed this technology in the 1970s. “But what makes this work today is the addition of electronic controls.

Also, this is one of the technologies Fiat is offering to Chrysler, should the merger happen.

Not all technology coming down the pike is going to appear because of lower fuel economy. The Cadillac Sixteen Concept car with an XV16 concept engine never will see the light of day, as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards were so poor, they could not build the engine.

But back to the technology that you might see on the diesel side. Diesel Exhaust Fluid – or selective catalytic reduction – will allow diesel engines to meet the near zero NOx requirement and achieve fuel efficiency at the same time, Haas explains. This is new for diesel manufacturers.

“They could either have a diesel engine that provides great fuel economy and was a gross polluter or they could develop diesel technology that was very clean and the fuel economy was very poor,” Haas says.

This technology, like the Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC, uses urea medical grade urine in its operation. Haas explains that urea medical grade urine is misted into the converted and turns NOX into nitrogen and water vapor. In the BlueTEC SUV, it’s stored in a tank in the left rear corridor.

One of the hang-ups here is that if the car is in a rear end collision, you could have diesel exhaust fluid in interior. There is nothing to remove the stain yet, causing a challenge for the collision industry.

In other vehicle technology, hydrogen-powered cars already are on the roads, with the Honda FCX Clarity available for lease in three cities. Haas says the lease option includes a warranty for full maintenance and repair in case of an accident, so that Honda can see what happens and improve the vehicle.

But Haas says in order for this technology to become more mainstream, consumer perception of hydrogen safety needs to be addressed.

“Hydrogen is far more likely to burn than explode,” he states. “It’s renewable and it’s abundant. Nine million tons are produced in the United States every year.”

Also, fuel cell technology also must be addressed, because drivers are going to expect these vehicles to operate just like gasoline vehicles do now. This also means that fuel storage and interior room also needs to be examined.

Electric cars also are on the horizon, with the much-talked about Chevy Volt as well as the Fisker Karma, which is not for sale yet, but orders are being taken. The Karma has a solar panel roof to replenish the power pack as well as for interior climate control.

Other unique systems that you might see in vehicles at some point, not in the near future, however, are new steering wheels in the Lincoln C Concept, which no longer has a center post, but rather an outer ring that moves and works the steering motor. The Chrysler 200C Concept features a touch screen dash than can be changed with today’s smart phone technology.

Also, Toyota is developing an alcohol detection system that will detect your blood alcohol content from the sweat in the palm of a driver’s hands. If the level is too high, the car won’t start. Other technology in this area from Toyota includes the ability to detect erratic driving and slowing and stopping the engine, as well as an infrared system to see if the driver’s pupils are dilated.

Haas wasn’t the only one to touch on vehicle technologies. John Waraniak, vice president of vehicle technology, Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), says there are four areas of vehicle technologies his organization is looking at as keys to the aftermarket: active-passive safety systems, mobile electronics integration, connecting vehicle technologies and alternative powertrain vehicles.