Welcome to the connected-car, and home, era
My first car was a new 1976 Pontiac Firebird, equipped with radial tuned suspension, electronic ignition and an 8-track stereo tape player.
Forty years later, those features seem quaint compared to the powerful electronic systems and gadgetry available on today’s models.
I recently had a chance to view some of that technology at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where automakers, software companies and electronics firms presented the latest automotive-related hardware and software.
In the past two years, automakers have increased their presence at the CES show as more automobiles become connected to the Internet.
In 2013, an estimated 13 million vehicles worldwide were connected to the Internet and that figure is expected to climb to 152 million by 2020, according to consulting company IHS Automotive.
At the CES, companies presented an array of technologies featuring mobile-phone integration, upgraded engine controls, collisionavoidance notifications and safety alerts. The aim is to allow drivers to engage more with their vehicles.
Ford (the automaker that I represent) demonstrated how its cars can communicate with smart devices inside the home. Consumers would be able to stop and start their vehicles and check trip stats using voice command.
Conversely, such features would also allow car owners to electronically manipulate certain home functions, such as opening a garage door or turning on a porch light, from inside a vehicle.
In 2014, Apple and Google both announced smartphone-integrations systems for automobiles (Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto), which offer music, GPS mapping and other services. Both have quickly caught on with consumers.
These tech-auto partnerships are part of a wave of innovation in automobile retailing, which offers bene- fits for all players. For tech companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft, it extends their reach, influence and brand recognition with a large segment of the population (car owners) that already use their products and services.
At a recent automotive congress in Detroit, a product manager at Google’s Android Auto, Andrew Brenner, made the point that consumers are actively seeking the same levels of design and technology that are used with mobile phones.
I agree. More and more car shop- pers who visit our dealership are requesting technology that is compatible with their smartphones. They also want integrated systems that are simple to use and safe.
The word “safe” is a word that often arises when discussing connected cars. It’s great that automakers have partnered with technology companies to offer consumers better connectivity, to make cars more enjoyable and safer to operate.
But I wonder if all this on-board technology is driving us to distraction. The Trillium Automobile Dealers Association uses its resources (including website, carsandjobs.com) to tackle the issue of dangerous driving by urging consumers to put their mobile phones away while driving.
Even basic audio and GPS systems can be complicated to use when driving; I’ve heard drivers admit that they often spend too much time fiddling with a device when their eyes should be on focused on the road.
Back when I owned the Firebird, the lack of on-board technology meant that I needed to focus only on driving, and changing 8-track tapes. Today, in-car technology is far more advanced, complicated, fascinating — and potentially distracting.
However advanced on-board technologies are, safe driving needs to remain a top priority among automakers and consumers. This column represents the views of TADA. Write president@tada.ca or go to tada.ca. Doug Sullivan is president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association. He is a new-car dealer in Huntsville, Ont.