CES: Automotive Tech News
Exciting automotive tech changes are afoot. According to Forbes, this year’s CES “hit a high water mark in terms of the scale and significance of car technology unveiled at the show as well as the attention it received.” Many of the automotive technology announcements focused on three trends: autonomous driving, personalization, and smart mobility.
Here’s a quick roundup of the exciting automotive technology news coming out of CES 2016:
Auto Manufacturers
- Mercedes-Benz unveiled the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which is the first “standard production” vehicle ever to receive licenses in Nevada.
- Toyota launched its Mobility Teammate Concept, which enables “connected vehicles to learn from and share with each other in real time.”
- Ford announced a new partnership with Amazon that allows the Ford Sync 3 system to connect with Amazon’s Echo hands-free speaker and voice command device.
- Mercedes-Benz also showcased its me concept, which uses predictive data to understand a driver’s daily habits.
- Toyota demoed its Agent+ technology, that learns the car’s driving history and predicts likely destinations.
- Ford expanded its Smart Mobility initiative with a vehicle-to-drone communication system that could help with emergency services.
- Just prior to CES, GM announced a $500 million partnership with Lyft, which has the auto manufacturer working with Lyft to have customers use the Lyft app to order a driverless car that shows up at their door.
Technology Providers
- Nvidia announced the DRIVE PX2 technology, which provides supercomputer-class performance for in-vehicle artificial intelligence. The technology is being used by Tokyo-based ZMP to create autonomous taxis; by Preferred Networks, working with Toyota, on autonomous driving capabilities; and by AdasWorks, in conjunction with Volvo, to provide 360-degree detection of lanes, vehicles, pedestrians, signs and more, for a variety of autopilot functions.
- Mobileye, a vendor that supplies cameras for the automotive industry, announced it will be supplying mapping data to GM and VW. The company previously announced deals with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
- QNX launched its Platform for ADAS, which will enable “automotive companies to build a full range of driving systems for 360-degree surround view of the vehicle.”
- Delphi showcased its Vehicle to Everything (V2E) solution that allows vehicles to communicate with streets, signs, traffic lights, other cars, and even pedestrians.
- Bosch unveiled technology that connects cars to homes, allowing drivers to turn on house lights automatically or adjust the temperature, once the car is within a certain range of the house.
Between the record sales of cars in 2015 and the rapid advancements in technology, it’s an exciting time to be working in the automotive industry. And who knows what will be announced this week at the Detroit Auto Show!
