2014 Consumer Electronics Show – Tech & Trends

2014 Consumer Electronics Show – Behind the Scenes with Lauren Fix

I’m Lauren Fix, The Car Coach. The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show is about connectivity and mobility. These are changes that will impact your life and your vehicle by allowing you to take your smart devices into your car using cool new technology. We’re going to give you a close-up look.

The Consumer Electronics Show is a showcase for the latest car gadgets from automakers and the latest cool electronics.

The next tech hotspot is your car. The dashboard has slowly morphed into a futuristic hub with GPS and access to apps, including music services such as Pandora and Aha, and search engines such as Bing. At CES, automakers featured everything from a car running partially on sunlight to a Hyundai Genesis that drivers can start with a Smartphone or tablet app.

Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai team up to bring Android to the dashboard. Four major automakers have partnered with Nvidia and Google to bring the Android operating system to cars. Called the Open Automotive Alliance, the group hopes to get automotive infotainment systems running on the open source OS as soon as this year, unlocking a whole world of apps that are tailored for in car use.

Audi’s full LCD gauge cluster in the 2015 Audi TT is getting a unique, driver-focused concept that offers a great combination of high design and high-tech. The car’s previous analog gauge cluster has been replaced with a color LCD screen that displays everything from vehicle speed and RPMs to a navigation screen.

In the future, cars might drive better than people due to technology. CES had a record number of automakers attend, with 9 out of the top 10 major auto manufacturers showing off everything from updated dashboards and self-driving cars to wearable tech and tablets for drivers and passengers alike. In fact, with the number of automotive debuts at CES 2014, you’d think it’s turned into a car show.

This year, the biggest news in autos is autonomous cars. There were a few cars showcased at CES; some drove themselves into press conferences using new chips and miniaturized hardware for impressive performance gains. BMWs Active Assist will be going on the road into trials in 2015, but track tests show we can already tackle tough challenges, like recovering from a skid on icy roads, without the need of a driver. Fully autonomous vehicles are years away, but a lot of tech we saw at CES is heading to vehicles soon.

Chevrolet and Audi both announced partnerships with AT&T and bring high-speed Wi-Fi connections to their vehicles.

Many 2015 Chevy cars and trucks will also feature Chevrolet App Shop, a function that lets drivers download audio, travel and diagnostic specifically designed for in-car use.

Whether it’s luxury gadgets or infotainment upgrades, one thing is clear; CES is becoming an increasingly important show for vehicle manufacturers. As cars grow more complex, we wouldn’t be surprised if the automotive presence at CES grows even more.

If you’re looking for more information on the Consumer Electronics Show, go to our website. I’m Lauren Fix, The Car Coach.

Courtesy of Time Warner Cable
Aired: 1/31/2014