Microcomputer-organized engine controls for passenger cars are now an established fact. The sensors for these controls are still rather crude, and will be challenged during the 1980’s by more advanced designs incorporating sophisticated electronics. The author describes the advantages for the control system, and for the sensor itself, which can be realized when a sensor is “smart” - designed from its inception to incorporate a dedicated real-time microcomputer. The increasing availability and use of such smart sensors is predicted.