Everything will be favorable for automakers, if they keep on progressing.

Automakers have enjoyed an unequaled run of success in the United States because of pent-up consumer demand, cheap gas prices and low interest rates. But manufacturers must continue updating their vehicles and improving technology to keep the good times rolling.

One of the scarier side effects of technology is the prospect that computers, algorithms, or robots may make some workers obsolete. But researchers say that the best way to analyze how machines will change work is to look at individual tasks rather than entire jobs.