Today’s cars already function as computers on wheels, some equipped with over 100 onboard microprocessors. But tomorrow’s vehicles will go significantly further, offering the sort of software-based features and functions found on Apple and Android smartphones and making use of the latest AI technology. Tomorrow’s “software-defined vehicles” will transform what motorists can do while driving – while generating hundreds of billions of dollars in new revenue streams for automakers. We’ll get a look at what this means at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Want to change the radio station you’re listening to or set a new destination into the navigation system? Most modern automobiles let you do that simply by using your voice. The MBUX voice assistant system introduced by Mercedes-Benz three years ago goes a step further. As with Amazon’s Alexa, you simply say, “Hey, Mercedes,” and give it a command and even ask questions, such as what the weather will be like. At CES 2024, however, the German automaker will debut an AI-powered, “hyper-personalized” update.
“Soon, participants who ask the Voice Assistant for details about their destination, to suggest a new dinner recipe, or to answer a complex question, will receive a more comprehensive answer — while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road,” the automaker said in a preview of the technology it will reveal at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.
Mercedes is by no means the only automaker looking to take today’s onboard technology to new levels. Tesla, for one, has already integrated a number of features into products like the Models 3 and Y that let passengers play games, watch videos — and, much like a smartphone, download new features and functions using over-the-air updates. Rather than requiring owners to go in for service, this will allow Tesla to remotely make the required repairs to its Autopilot system as part of a recall of 2 million vehicles announced last month.
Autopilot and the more advanced Full-Self Driving systems eventually will allow motorists to drive completely hands-free. As will similar technologies such as General Motors’ Super Cruise, Ford’s BlueCruise and the Mercedes Drive Pilot which is just going on sale in California.
The latter system is the first Level 3 technology approved for use in the U.S. At speeds up to 40 mph, drivers can not only take hands off the wheel but turn their attention away from the road. That will permit them to make calls, text, even watch streaming videos.
