A clear thread runs through many new automaker technologies unveiled at CES 2024, and for one good reason.
Some big stories have emerged from Las Vegas this month at CES 2024.
The annual trade show, organised by the US Consumer Technology Association and billed as The Most Powerful Tech Event in the World, has become a motor show of sorts thanks to the ever-growing boom in advanced vehicle technologies.
Many major carmakers use CES to unveil their most advanced breakthroughs.
Everything from production-ready in-car tech to future concepts, you’ll find them first at CES.
And 2024 was another big year.
Here’s a sample.
Continental unveiled a new facial-recognition system that lets drivers unlock their car, start the motor and even make purchases – all without the camera being visible to the user.
French supplier Valeo teamed with Sennheiser to create unique immersive light and sound effects to provide a customizable vehicle cabin experience.
Mercedes-Benz presented its AI-powered MBUX Virtual Assistant, which it says creates a hyper-personalised user experience by creating human-like interaction inside the vehicle using generative AI and advanced 3D graphics.
Mercedes-AMG, the company’s performance division, revealed its newest in-car entertainment concept. The brand teamed with American entrepreneur will.i.am to launch MBUX SOUND DRIVE, which uses advanced software to allow in-car music to react to how the car is being driven, turning “every trip into a dynamic musical journey.”
Top EV brand Polestar presented new innovations for its cars’ Google Built-in function. Drivers can now send routes from their mobile device to their car before driving off. And the company’s in-car online browser will now use Google Chrome.
Then there was this.
Hyundai introduced its ‘Software-defined Everything’ (SDx) strategy, which seeks to redefine vehicles, fleets and transportation systems with software and AI. Through its SDx strategy, the Group seeks to develop a mobility ecosystem that meets the needs of users anytime and anywhere. It’s also intended to streamline vehicle development and achieve user technology integration that’s more natural and convenient.
This is a big development. It’s been reported that Intel automotive predicts software-defined vehicles and EVs will follow a similar path to smartphones, which held a 19 percent global market share in 2010 but nearly 80 percent just 10 years later.
That’s an eye-opening forecast.
All of these technology presentations are important. Don’t dismiss them as ‘tech-marketing flex’. They signal some of the latest big advancements made by the automotive world. Perhaps more importantly, they reflect consumer desires.
And one buyer expectation is common to many of them: personalisation.
The ability to tailor a vehicle’s driving experience – and the vehicle itself – is not a new concept.
But as CES 2024 shows, it’s becoming more important than ever.
Drivers want to express themselves – with what they drive and how they use their vehicles.
Customisable technologies from everyday life (like smartphones, on-demand TV and large-language AI) have reinforced a personalisation culture that now spans generations.
Even at the sharpest cutting edge of new-car technology development, automakers are working hard to keep pace with the growing demand for stand-out personalisation.
But personalising a new-car range to attract buyers isn’t all about machine learning and cloud technologies; there’s a lot automakers and their official new-car importers can do to their hardware and styling (future and existing) to meet consumer tastes in different markets.
Some of the most proactive car brands are already doing it, because personalisation and new cars that stand out share one important fact: buyers want them.
Bernie Quinn – Engineering Director, Premcar Pty Ltd
About Premcar – Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For more than 25 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. As the name behind more than 200,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines, Premcar’s body of work is extensive and has delivered technical and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.au.
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