With the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show — 2014 International CES in Las Vegas — just three weeks away, several Michigan firms are planning to show off their connected car capabilities. The U.S. consumer electronics industry is valued at $203 billion.
Continental Automotive Systems Inc., an automotive supplier in Auburn Hills that partnered with IBM to develop fully connected mobile vehicle solutions, will show off Connected Electronic Horizon, a digital map display that anticipates the road ahead by extending the horizon beyond what is immediately visible. While current technology uses static map data, with crowdsourcing and the advanced use of existing vehicle sensors, Electronic Horizon receives and transmits traffic data in real time, enabling the vehicle to predict road conditions ahead.
“Not only are drivers demanding a more digital lifestyle, connecting the vehicle is opening up a vast field of opportunities for services to make driving safer, more efficient, and more comfortable,” says Helmut Matschi, head of Continental’s Interior Division and a member of the executive board.
Another Continental-IBM concept on display will be Smart Speech technology, which aims to enhance communication via interactive artificial intelligence between the vehicle and the driver. “The cloud-based functions open the possibilities of future vehicles,” Matschi says. “The future interior and the future safety functionalities of vehicles will also depend on the way the car is connected.”
Van Buren Township-based Visteon Corp. will also unveil new technology at the trade show, which runs Jan. 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Mandalay Bay, and other meeting spaces.
The supplier of automotive cockpit electronics will reveal an application-ready solution that supports emerging vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology, collectively known as V2X. The technology offers the potential for significant improvements in driver awareness including a potential collision, hazardous road and curve speed warnings, and traffic flow information.
In related news, Jim Farley, Ford’s executive vice president of global marketing, sales and service, and Lincoln, will deliver a keynote address called “Brand Matters” on Jan. 8 at the LVH Theater (Las Vegas Hilton).
