Bangkok Post – AFP, 16 Jan 2014
Cars that
park themselves, radar-guided safety sensors and infotainment systems with web
access; automakers are competing for customers who now expect constant
innovation.
 |
| The Chrysler 200s is introduced at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 13, 2014 |
"The
hottest new technology in cars today is voice-to-text functionality that reads
a driver’s emails or texts as they come in and allows the driver to dictate a
response without looking away from the road," Karl Brauer, senior analyst
at Kelley Blue Book, told AFP.
Automakers
have aligned themselves with tech giants to lure customers with increasingly
complex -- but hopefully still intuitive -- systems to transform their consoles
into souped-up smart phones.
Navigation
has been upgraded to integrate online consumer reviews from sites like Yelp,
and guide motorists to roadside businesses.
Touch
screens reminiscent of an iPad have been added to consoles outfitted with apps
like Pandora music streaming.
Then there
are proprietary apps aimed at fixing life's little problems.
Touch a
button on your phone and your lost car will pop up on a map. Still can't find
it in the parking lot? Tap again and the phone will honk your horn. Locked the
keys inside? Another button opens the door.
Worried
that your teenager is driving too fast or hanging out with the wrong crowd?
There's an app that will send you a text message if they surpass a chosen speed
or leave a designated area.
The real
challenge for automakers is to make sure all of this technology doesn't become
a dangerous distraction, said Art St. Cyr, head of product planning at American
Honda.
Keeping it
out of the car simply isn't possible: people are too attached to their smart
phones and "don't want to be disconnected," he said.
"The
key is to reduce the cognitive load," St Cyr told reporters on the
sidelines of the Detroit auto show.
Voice
activation certainly helps, but automakers have also invested in developing
safety systems that can compensate for distracted or sleepy drivers.
Initially
available only in luxury cars and then premium models, complex
collision-avoidance technology is being introduced to the mass market.
Chrysler is
decking out a new midsized 200 sedan -- unveiled in Detroit Monday with an
entry price of just $21,700 -- with a full spectrum of safety features
previously only available in pricier models.
Video
cameras mounted onto the windshield detect lines in the road to warn drivers if
they are straying out of a lane and electrical steering wheels will even kick
the car back into position.
Radars
mounted under the grill can see through fog to measure the distance to the
nearest vehicle, register a change in speed and then slow down or even stop the
car if a driver doesn't notice the looming brake lights.
And a blind
spot monitor will sound an alert if a driver misses a blinking light in the
side view mirror and flips the turn signal.
Rear view
cameras are becoming standard features even on entry-level models like Honda's
new compact Fit and Kia is stepping up the game by adding front and side views
to the K900 which was unveiled in Detroit.
Plenty of
premium models are helping drivers with pesky parking problems by measuring
distances and controlling the steering wheel for the perfect parallel -- or
even perpendicular -- parking job.
BMW takes
it a step further in its new electric i3 which hits showrooms in a few months.
Not only
does it help to search for parking spots big enough to squeeze into, it will
then completely take over the job by controlling the steering, braking and
acceleration.
Automakers
are also competing with simpler features like a vacuum cleaner in Honda's
top-selling Odyssey minivan, a sensor that will pop the trunk of a Mercedes,
Ford or Cadillac when your hands are full, and "EZ-lift" tailgates on
the new GMC pickup.
But the
biggest innovations are under the hood, said Bob Carter, head of automotive
operations at Toyota Motor Sales USA.
Complex
hybrid engines have become commonplace and people are even getting used to
seeing purely electric cars like Nissan's Leaf on the road.
The holy
grail of green cars -- hydrogen fuel cell engines that emit nothing but water
vapor -- is already on the road in test markets and will be hitting Toyota
showrooms next year. Rivals Ford, Honda, BMW, Daimler, and Renault-Nissan won't
be far behind.
"To
bring it to the floor is over 20 years of research," Carter told AFP in an
interview on the sidelines of the show.
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