Connectivity in the car New technology, new ways

New technology, new ways

The Connected Car, the overtaxed driver, the industry before the break: more connectivity in the car has a greater impact on the automotive world as we knew it before.

Large screen, smartphone connectivity and Internet in the car, in scarcely cockpit of the latest generation of vehicles, these features may be missing the show producers currently at the Geneva Motor Show (until 16 March). A future trend will be, according to experts in the coming years once again important - and bring profound changes for the automotive industry and motorists.

Just days ago, surprised VW CEO Martin Winterkorn with the announcement, the usual model cycles of seven to eight years have been overtaken, the industry must adapt quickly to rapidly changing customer needs. This meant above all customers who demand more and more digital lifestyle in their cars. "If you are used to, your smartphone to change every two years, you may be bored with the multimedia technology in cars faster ," says Jeff Owens, Chief Technology Officer of Delphi Corporation, this phenomenon.

In recent years, car manufacturers often accused heckled the development of consumer electronics behind. This allegation should no longer apply in the future. Just recently announced, for example, Mercedes, Volvo and Ferrari a partnership with the computer and consumer electronics giant Apple.

Suppliers such as Delphi are asked when it comes to the implementation in the car to higher resolution and freely configurable screens, better voice recognition, high-speed processors. You Can not they show more long only to the auto shows. For several years, the presence of the car on consumer electronics trade shows like the Consumer Electric Show in Las Vegas or the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is increasing, where Audi, for example, this year introduced the new cockpit of the TT. " The car will occupy an increasingly important place in the consumer electronics industry, no doubt ," said Owens.

In his plea for a more rapid adaptation of the auto industry to the customers wishes, Martin Winterkorn also presented the prospect that the driver could do a portion of the face lifts itself via software update in the garage at home in the future. One scenario is that the Delphi CTO holds for quite probable: "In the future, if the customer wants to have new features, it makes a software update - so he gets in the cockpit almost a completely new car. "

The conditions for this, however, must be applied from the beginning in the car - that costs money and leads to a dilemma: How do I make the car viable for the future? If the vehicle can update why the customer should buy a new one? " The automakers toss the straight. . A manufacturer of account that can reach the young generation " But one thing we must not forget, says Owens: The cockpit you can update relatively simple. To update the engine and the handling is not as easy for the customer must buy in the future a new car.

In consideration of all customer requests for more connectivity, however, remains the question of security. Finally, the most important aspect for the use of vehicles is still the locomotion, in which the driver should not be distracted. Two points, however, are to act: on the one who always better to use, for example, voice control, intuitive, large screens with low menu depth or head-up displays, so that the driver must take the eyes as little as possible from the road.

Secondly, an improved active safety. "Studies have confirmed that we are constantly distracted by many things ," said Jeff Owens. " A car with safety systems on board, however, is never distracted. " As a last resort, the car could also disable functions in the future. "With active safety systems, the car knows its environment," it describes Owens. It detects if there is heavy traffic and the temperature so that the driver must be very attentive below freezing. " Then, the system may block some features or only allow even by voice recognition, until driver and car are back in a safe driving situation. " An paternalism that the driver has to leave may like in the future.

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