Concept minivan for millennials only
Chrysler Portal takes family transportation to next level with its ‘third space’
It might not have ‘auto’ in its title, but the annual Consumers Electronic Show is becoming as important to the car business as any of the world’s premier auto shows.
The 50th edition of CES wrapped yesterday, and Postmedia’s David Booth was there for its entirety. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from his show notepad:
Chrysler Portal targets tech-savvy millennials
This all-electric minivan is just a concept but underscores the regard FCA has for this generation’s upcoming buying power What is it? Officially, Chrysler’s Portal Concept is “a forward-thinking interpretation of the ‘fifth generation’ of family transportation focused toward the millennial generation.” That means it looks like a further melding of the minivan and the SUV, the stylistic emphasis on the brutish while still maintaining the efficient space utilization of its trademark “Magic Wagon.” More startlingly, it’s designed exclusively for millennials; we oldtimers need not apply. And, if you’re thinking that’s what Honda said about its 2005 Element — which ended up just being a low-cost, four-passenger minivan alternative — think again. How does it work? First off, it’s electric powered, FCA claiming the Portal will be good for 400 kilometres on a single charge and be able to replenish its batteries to the tune of 240 klicks with just 20 minutes of 350 kilowatts of DC fast charging. FCA is also promising SAE Level III autonomy — essentially what the best luxury cars are offering today — and an in-vehicle wireless system that seamlessly integrates mobile devices into the car and the cloud.
But we’ve heard all that before. What we haven’t seen is what Chrysler is calling the Portal’s “third space,” an open and serene atmosphere that Chrysler promises “bridges work and home.” In layman’s terms, that means expanding on the incredible flexibility of the company’s minivans. Seats can be folded, moved fore and aft, or removed altogether with the greatest of ease. Reliance on electricity for motivation helps here, the low, completely flat floor enhancing space utilization and seating flexibility. Third space’s crowning touch, however, is that multiple screens can be positioned throughout the third space, Millennials seemingly getting antsy if they’re not within finger reach of a touchscreen.
When is it coming?
The Portal is very much a concept. FCA is a very conservative company and almost assuredly won’t produce anything that looks this futuristic. In other words, the Portal is more important for whom it means to attract — again, if you missed it, millennials — than what it is.
Should you buy it?
Well, if you’re a millennial, FCA wants to know what you think of the Portal. Otherwise, bugger off. Indeed, according to FCA, millennials have become the largest demographic in North America and notes that “in 10 years, one in three drivers will be a millennial at the peak of starting/having their own family.” Millennials also “have clearly defined that they want a vehicle that will grow with them as they experience life changes,” says Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands — Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA — North America, further noting “FCA is already a leader in family transportation and it was essential that we fully explored the idea of what a vehicle could look like for this emerging generation.” In other words, if you don’t own the collected works of Drake and Lady Gaga, you’re not Portal material.
Mirror takes camera-based tech to a new level
The seemingly unknown mirror company Gentex has found a solution where rear-view cameras and mirrors peacefully coexist. What is it? Gentex is a singularly focused company. Its bailiwick is automatically dimming rear-view mirrors. Therefore, to keep up with the digital Joneses, it’s only natural that the company moved into the almost ubiquitous backup camera. Now, the company’s multi-camera rear vision system takes camera-based mirror technology to a whole new level.
How does it work?
Essentially, both side mirrors and the roof have a camera facing forward. Between the three of them, they offer a real time, rather than interpolated, view of what’s behind and beside your future car. The trick to the new camera monitoring system (CMS), says Gentex, is a seamless stitching together of the various inputs and offering the driver a multiplicity of composite views. Gentex says it’s the “industry’s first practical CMS solution,” with senior vice-president Steve Downing claiming “the system realizes the rearward field-of-view benefits afforded by cameras, while the downsized exterior mirrors provide generous weight and fuel efficiency improvements.”
When is it coming?
With the speed of implementation of cameras into the exterior of automobiles, this CMS revolution can’t be far off.
Should you buy it? Sign me up. The closest thing to Gentex’s CMS system currently is the digital rear-view mirror in the Cadillac CT6. Though it is only fed by a single trunk-mounted, rear-facing camera, it displays the cars behind without interruption from the rear C-pillar and other visibility-impeding bodywork, rendering the CT6’s digital mirror quite a step forward from the analog versions. The Gentex system should take that enhancement to the next level and, like the Caddy system, Gentex retains physical mirrors — albeit smaller — “should weather or system failure impede the digital view.”
Honda previews ‘emotion engine’
Automaker says its emotion engine can actually react to its driver’s conversations.
What is it?
I’m not quite sure. I mean, I’ve seen it and I’ve touched it, but I’m still not sure what it is. For its part, Honda says its new NeuV has an “emotion engine.”
How does it work?
Part of the Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem that Honda is unveiling at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, NeuV promises that the new technology behind its emotion engine can do everything “from reducing traffic congestion to creating new modes of in-car connectivity.” Using artificial intelligence, Honda says its emotion engine can react to its driver’s conversations creating a deeper connection between man and car.
When is it coming?
Personal assistance — or, more accurately, roboticized personal assistants — are still in the fledgling stage, four-wheeled and otherwise, so the CES introduction of the NeuV is more a direction of development than the promise of a specific technology. That said, if every iPhone can have a Siri, why can’t a car have, well, an emotion engine?
Should you buy it?
My Lord, I have no clue. In fact, I don’t think Honda does, either. What the NeuV does illustrate, more than anything else, is that traditional automakers are not willing to cede the cutting edge of the man-machine interface to the giants of Silicon Valley.
VW app personalizes your car’s settings with a phone
It’s not just about music: User-ID will allow you to set up suspension, seating position and other systems.
What is it?
The digital world is nothing if not ephemeral, so when Volkswagen’s big announcement at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is an app that didn’t actually do anything other than portray the future Volkswagen man-machine interaction, nobody batted an eye. Of course, having to work an app that will show you how a future app will work may seem like a download too far, but, hey, the geeks just ate it up.
How does it work?
That said, Volkswagen User-ID has some promising features, especially if the whole car-sharing thing takes off. Essentially what User-ID does is set up a profile — your favourite music, the way you like the touchscreen to display its information, etc. — and personal settings — seat positioning, third-party apps — and download them into any Volkswagen (owned, rented or shared) just by syncing the car and your phone. As Volkswagen says, every owner, at least those with a smartphone, can create a uniquely different user-experience that they can take with them to any car … as long as it’s a Volkswagen.
When is it coming?
There’s no official timeline for introduction of User-ID, but this is most definitely the future of car customization so expect it sooner rather than later. Should you buy it? Unreservedly yes. This is the ultimate personalization of the driving experience. Now limited to various mobility, and telematics functions, it won’t be long — many cars already have electrically-operated steering and variable suspension — before you can customize the feel of your cars, not to mention tailor the interior lighting and music, of your car from a simple app.
BMW’s HoloActive Touch is the evolution of touchscreens
What is it?
BMW says it’s a glimpse into the future. Or, to be more accurate, a glimpse into its future. HoloActive Touch, says the German automaker that led the car industry into on-board telematics with its iDrive infotainment system, “acts like a virtual touchscreen” by melding BMW’s latest gesture control with touchscreen feedback. How does it work?
Similar in operation to a headsup display, HoloActive’s uniqueness is based on the clever use of reflections to project an image of the touchscreen, only free-floating inside the cabin on the touchscreen rather than onto the windscreen. A camera then detects the driver’s hand movements within a user-friendly area and then the relevant function is activated — with a tactile pulse — as soon as a fingertip makes contact with one of these virtual control surfaces.
When is it coming?
BMW isn’t giving an exact timing, but the gesture control technology unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show two years ago has already made its way into the recently released remake of the 5 Series. In other words, we may see HoloActive Touch as soon as the 2019 model year.
Should you buy it?
That depends. HoloActive is essentially BMW’s Gesture Control on steroids. So, if you like having the automotive equivalent of the Star Trek Holodeck that you dreamed of in your youth, then most assuredly yes. On the other hand, using a whole bunch of flailing gestures to attenuate the decibels of your stereo when the volume control is conveniently located less than a half-inch from your right thumb can seem downright silly.