????最近，福特汽車公司（Ford）發布了一個讓人驚訝的公告：它要在自己高科技含量極高的控制系統MyFord Touch上加裝收音機旋鈕。這是從最新科技倒退到傳統技術，就像“人咬狗”一樣，是大家很少能在汽車業看到的新聞，以后也別指望能再發生這類事情。

????這一舉動的背景是：為了讓駕駛者減少分神，同時和競爭對手一較高下，福特推出了音頻、導航和其他功能的聲控和觸屏控制系統。但是駕駛者發現，這個新系統讓人困惑，而《消費者報告》（Consumer Reports ）則發表了一份報告，對這個系統的功能大加諷刺。所以福特決定聽取大家的意見，走個回頭路：裝個旋鈕，就能控制聲音和頻率了。《凱利藍皮書》（Kelley Blue Books，北美二手車行業的標桿性定價雜志——譯注）的杰克?尼拉德稱：“旋鈕大家既熟悉，又好用，是讓駕駛者控制車內娛樂系統特別好的手段。它能讓人少分心，也沒那么難用，這就能帶來更大的方便，還能提高安全性。”

????下一步懷舊穿越會是什么呢？是不是我們會看到各廠商紛紛采用帶狀速度計（ribbon speedometers），裝在輪轂上的傳動裝置按鈕（hub-mounted transmission button），或者說三檔變速桿？不太可能。實際上，汽車業正在朝完全不同的方向發展。現在一定年紀的駕駛者曾經熟悉的很多功能要么正在消失，要么早已銷聲匿跡。下面就是其中的一部分：

????1.手動變速器

????傳統的離合器控制的手動變速器名列瀕危物種名單的時間比黑足鼬（唯一原產于北美的雪貂——譯注）還長。相比之下，自動變速器只需要兩個踏板，而且早已變得更平滑、更高效、更廉價，更省油。知名汽車網站Edmunds.com稱，過去十年間，新車銷售中手動檔的比例已大幅下跌至3.8%，盡管2012年有過短暫反彈。手自一體變速器和2014款吉普大切諾基（Jeep Grand Cherokee）這類車所用的八速自動變速器正日益普及，這會讓人們更不愿意選購手排檔，也會讓一些特定車型更少選裝它。

????2.車鑰匙

????電子鑰匙取代傳統鑰匙成為車主打開后備箱和車門最喜歡的方式已有很長時間了——你還記得最后一次看見車身上的鑰匙孔是什么時候？——現在用一鍵啟動按鈕點火已讓模鑄金屬鑰匙變得多余了。在一些高端車上，當帶著電子鑰匙的車主接近自己的車時，車門就會自動打開，這樣電子鑰匙就不必從口袋或包里拿出來了。而停車場工作人員常常抱怨稱一些健忘的車主老是停車后不拔車鑰匙，不過這類人總是少數。而今后，用智能手機就能打開車門，啟動汽車了。

????Recently, Ford (F, Fortune 500) made a surprising announcement: It is adding radio knobs to its hi-tech component control system MyFord Touch. That's a retreat from cutting-edge to old technology -- a man-bites-dog scenario you don't often see in the auto business. And don't expect to see it any more often in the future.

????Here's the background: In attempting to reduce driver distraction and get a jump on competitors, Ford had introduced a voice- and touch-screen system for audio, navigation, and other functions. But drivers found the new system confusing, and Consumer Reports issued a withering report on its functionality. So Ford decided to listen to popular concern and go backwards: It will now make it possible to control volume and frequency with the twist of a knob. "Familiar and easy-to-use knobs are exceptionally good ways for drivers to control in-car entertainment systems," says Kelley Blue Books' Jack Nerad. "They make for less distraction and less frustration, and that translates into more convenience and improved safety."

????What's next? Are we going to see a return to ribbon speedometers, hub-mounted transmission buttons, or three-on-a-tree gear shifters? Not likely. In fact, the industry is moving in a different direction; many of the features that drivers of a certain age find familiar are dying out or already dead. Here's a partial list:

????1. Manual transmissions

????Traditional clutch-controlled manual transmissions have certified for the endangered list longer than the black-footed ferret. Automatic transmissions that don't require a third pedal have simply become slicker, smoother, more efficient, less expensive to buy, and easier on fuel consumption. Manual shifts as a percentage of cars sold had shrunk by half in the last decade to 3.8%, according to Edmunds.com, though they experienced a brief rebound in 2012. The popularity of manumatic shifters along with eight-speed automatics like the one found on the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee should further limit the desirability of stick shifts and limit their availability to specialty models.

????2. Keys

????Long ago replaced by the fob as the preferred way to open trunks and unlock doors -- when was the last time you saw an external keyhole anywhere on a car? -- stamped metal keys have been made redundant by ignitions that use start/stop buttons. On higher-end cars, the fob unlocks the door when the key-holder approaches the car, so it need not be lifted from a pocket or purse. Parking garage attendants complain that forgetful customer are forever walking away with their keys and leaving their cars immobilized, but they are in the minority. Coming next: cars that can be unlocked and started with your smartphone.