Looking Forward to More Online Repair Manual Goodness in 2011

So it’s December 11 today. I just realized that in only a couple or so more weeks to go, we’ll be moving on to the year 2011. We’re inching closer to what many call the 2012 phenomenon—you know, last year of the Mayan Calendar, end of the world stuff. I’m not really a fan of that kind of talk. I’m a fan of, obviously, online auto repair manuals.

The Smart fortwo electric drive

This is why I expect a lot more goodies from the online repair manuals front next year. This means people uploading more free scans and information, and paid premium online car repair manuals shoring up their services and updating their vehicle-specific catalog to include newer vehicle makes and models.

Here’s a good example: more and more hybrid and electric vehicles are seeing use nowadays. You’ve got the most visible Toyota Prius and there are others coming or that have already arrived, like those amazing BlueEfficiency cars from the folks at Mercedes-Benz and the Smart fortwo electric drive, along with the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Peugeot iOn that go on sale in January 2011. The market will definitely grab hold of more of these models, and there are already efforts to create more pieces of infrastructure to support such vehicles. I think we’ll see the need for more online auto repair manuals that can cover these vehicles and their green power plants.

Of course, automobile manufacturers are gearing for another year of release in 2011, as they try to build on solid growth in 2010 in terms of sales and revenue. The market looks to be recovering, but one thing remains: the public is aware that costs can be cut by performing DIY repair or maintenance tasks. That’s why online repair manuals will still be big in the upcoming year—if not bigger.