1969 prediction, from a magazine advertisement.
Someday roads will tell cars where to go.
And you will be able to drive cross-country without a road map and never get lost. Just leave the guiding to ERGS: The Electronic Route Guidance System developed cooperatively by General Motors Research Laboratories and the Corporation’s Delco Radio Division.
Here’s how it will work. Let’s say you’re living in Chicago and want to drive to Los Angeles. Just dial the destination code for Los Angeles on a special radio receiver panel in your car and start heading west. As you approach an intersection, an antenna buried in the pavement signals your destination to roadside computer equipment. Quicker than a blink, the computer processes your destination information, signals back to your radio receiver and the proper directions light up on your receiver panel.
Since ERGS will be geared to your final destination, it won’t be thrown off by side trips and stops along the way.
Traffic guidance is just one of the many areas where General Motors scientists are working to make your driving simpler and more enjoyable in days to come.
Source: General Motors - May 1969 - Hot Rod