Car makers show off their tech credentials at top electronics show

SMARTER CARS make for safer drivers – that’s the message from this month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Intelligent cars, advanced heads-up displays and sensors will help drivers cut down on crashes, as car makers strive for improved safety. Only a few years ago, there was very little evidence of car manufacturers at CES. The Las Vegas-based exhibition didn’t register on the radar for automotive companies.

Fast forward to 2012 and car manufacturers are everywhere. Organisers said there was a record number of automotive exhibitors at the show, with at least six of the top 10 manufacturers showing off the latest technologies, including Kia, Audi, Daimler, owner of Mercedes, and Ford. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche even gave a keynote speech to attendees. The CES halls had tech zones dedicated to driving technology, from navigation and safe driving to electric vehicles.

Things have definitely changed. But at this year’s show, car makers were also eager to show off that they are no longer just automotive firms, but technology firms too. Because these days, car technology isn’t just about which in-car entertainment systems will keep your family quiet on a long trip. Or which ones will integrate bluetooth audio and phone functions into the car.

Some of the major tech firms – Panasonic, and LG, for example – were showing off what their technology offers the modern driver, in conjunction with manufacturers such as Chrysler. But there is more to it than the ability to access radio channels on demand through voice commands, or a navigation system that will not only get you to your destination but make recommendations along the way. Connected cars, smarter cars, are the goal of the major automotive firms, and they’re eyeing everything from fuel efficiency to altering driver behaviour.

“Convergence and personalisation are particularly important trends,” said Consumer Electronics Association chief executive Gary Shapiro. “As more products are integrated into wireless technologies and as technology allows customisation of each user experience, mobile connectivity becomes the epicentre of our lives.”

Connected cars allow you to do everything from keep in touch with social networks to book flights and make dinner reservations.

Dr Zetsche impressed on the keynote audience the idea that a smart car can become more than transport. Daimler is pinning its hopes on the cloud to keep drivers up to date. It unveiled a new version of its Mbrace that allows you to access Facebook, traffic data, and make dinner reservations, among other things.

Dr Zetsche also promised a new generation of intelligent cars, that learn habits and predict your moves. “Even though the auto industry has been bragging about intelligent cars for some time, the truth is until now, even the best automobiles haven’t really been the brightest,” he said.

The cars of the future will be smarter, he promised, predicting weather at your destination, for example, or automatically compiling podcasts and news programmes that interest the driver.

Meanwhile, Audi took a leap forward into the future with its revamped heads-up display that allows the driver to see navigation directions, for example, in real-time while still keeping their eyes on the road. The contact-analogue heads-up display will also be able to highlight pedestrians who step into the street and their distance from the car, once the car’s night vision system is active.

It is also trying to reduce crashes by using advanced lane assist technologies that keep the driver on the straight and narrow.

It also said it would integrate Google Earth images into its navigation, using processors from Nvidia, and streaming audio and other apps will soon be on the way.

There were plenty of new vehicles on display too. Mercedes showed off the F125, while Audi unveiled its urban concept car that is made for congested urban areas.

Ford, meanwhile, made a big deal of showing off its latest electric car, the Ford Fusion Energy. The official car of CES 2012 offers the equivalent of 100 miles to the gallon, and joins a growing line-up of electric and hybrid vehicles that Ford is offering in the US. “It really is an important part of the strategy,” chief executive Alan Mullally said.

The company came in for some high praise from Shapiro at the launch of the new car. “Ford has a vision. It sets the bar for the automotive industry, and it will certainly forever change the way consumers interact with their cars,” he said. “Ford is thinking and acting like an electronics company.”

But although the car was the major announcement, it wasn’t Ford’s only triumph at CES. The company was awarded the best of innovation at CES 2012 for it MyFord application which works with smartphones to help drivers of its Ford Focus electric vehicle to find charging stations and monitor the charge of the car.

The company built the application with connected vehicle services firm Airbiquity, based on the firm’s platform for electric cars.

There was also plenty of potential to be found for the future of the car industry. The ability of cars to communicate with each other, with traffic lights and even pedestrians using short-range technology dubbed Vehicle to X or Wi-Fi on wheels may help improve safety in years to come.

Panasonic, meanwhile, displayed the fastest solar car in the world, which uses its solar cells and lithium ion batteries.