Another day of the financial crisis. Another day of Detroit auto execs trying to paddle their way out the sinkhole their stock has fallen deeply into. Everyone knows things need to change. GM now has a new CEO. Chrysler wants to jump into bed with Fiat. Sounds to me like the same old companies trying the same old tricks. It’s time for something different.

What the auto industry needs is something completely disruptive. Something that forces the American auto industry—and the American consumer—to realize that there are different ways to think about what the automobile can be. Just like Apple telling the consumer in 1998 that disk drives are no longer necessary, sometimes we need new technology—new ways of thinking—forced upon us. Maybe Apple should get into the auto game.

Think about it. What does the American auto industry need so badly? Innovation. Apple’s got that. Design. Apple’s got that. Efficiency. Apple’s got that. Price. Apple’s got that.

Imagine if Apple were to design the automobile that defines the next century of auto manufacturing. The cars would look killer. They would run extremely efficiently, with inventions and innovations that keep challenging the industry to find new ways of powering automobiles. And when something goes wrong, you don’t go to the mechanic, you go to the genius, who could probably fix it remotely, or at least let you schedule an appointment at 3:30 on a Sunday, if neccessary.

And then think about the bells and whistles. iTunes access to download music from your stereo. Oh, and you could just sync to your iPod on the spot, too. How about remote start? I could start my car from my iPhone. That would be nice on a cold, Minnesota morning. Bluetooth for hands-free calling, which would just be standard, not a $500 add-on. And, of course, you’d also get all the navigation features that you get with the GPS packages, but standard. The list could go on and on. It would be like having an iPhone or MacBook with wheels.

My guess is that Apple probably wants to stay as far away from the auto industry as it can. But I challenge them to consider the possibility. Because we all know, if the future of transportation is hinged on what Detroit can come up with, we might be better off investing in a horse and buggy.