Are Cars Stealing the Thunder of CES?
Written by: Christian “Fluffy” Pena
CES 2015 – Electronics and Cars two major pillars of the technology industry are currently in the midst of an exciting merger. More and more electronics has seeped into our daily drives, making it safer, more efficient and increasingly connected. It used to be the radio that dominated the in-car entertainment segment. Nowadays consumers expects touch screens, GPS devices, blue tooth connectivity, collision avoidance warning and other electronic gadgets that will make the experience of driving better.
It all started when Ford Motors Corporation and Microsoft joined together and launched their joint infotainment system called “SYNC”. It raised a lot of eyebrows in the tech world and the tech media back when it was launched in CES 2007. It has come a long way since then, Ford has now an impressive two level display showing the latest Taurus, five other vehicles and a video wall explaining their latest technological innovation.
But Ford is not alone; Toyota, Mazda, Chrysler, General Motors Co., Hyundai, Audi, BMW and together with Volkswagen which is making its first show appearance. The automotive industry is now integrating a lot of electronics in their upcoming models. Visteon Corporation a provider of technology for cars is also showing off a display of 3 cars with their latest infotainment gear.
The demand to include more tech in cars are consumer driven, more and more customers are expecting connectivity in some way or another. Now it’s not just about horsepower, fuel efficiency and safety, but also connectivity and real time information. What is now placed on the center console is just as important as the main features of the car. Automotive manufacturers are now putting insane amounts of money trying in research and development to one up each other to grab the consumer’s attention.
Main stream tech companies like Nvidia are also taking notice of the trend. They now have cars included in their booth display which was something that was unthinkable a couple of years back. NVidia now attributes this to demand of consumers to integrate technologies in the cars they drive. It is estimated that one out every three American households now has a car with an integrated infotainment system.
Part of the International CES is now becoming a car show, while the are bigger car shows, like the Detroit Car Show, CES is becoming a car show of substance while Detroit is more of glitz and glam.
The major phone software manufacturers are buzzing with excitement Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto which is basically an iphone and an android phone integrated in the dashboard of your car. These devices are set to on sale early next year (2016) and we can expect these pieces of technology to reach the Philippines soon after.
“We’re thinking of ourselves as a mobility company and not only a car and truck company,” Ford’s President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields said. “We want to be viewed as being part of this community.”
