Cars upstage gadgets in Vegas
January 7, 2015
Jack spent two days driving the 900 kilometers from Silicon Valley to attend the international CES in Las Vegas - billed as the world's greatest tradeshow for consumer technology. When he finally pulled up in front of the venue, people's jaws dropped.
Jack is a self-driving car - an Audi, to be exact. The A7 sedan is just one of several driverless vehicles that are stealing the show at this year's CES, overshadowing what was supposed to be the real stars of the tech fair, such as TVs and smart-watches.
The German carmaker blew visitors' minds once more, when Audi electronics boss Ricky Hudi rolled out the company's new Prologue concept car, upstaging Jack with its ability to "learn" from its surroundings, thanks to a revolutionary Nvidia chip.
Driving the future
The auto industry insists that, unlike curved TVs and smart-watches, automotive autonomy is far from a passing fad.
"Most cool gadgets here at CES actually consume your time, and take up your space in your apartment. We at Mercedes are going to show you a device that gives you more time and more space. That really is priceless," Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche said as he unveiled Mercedes' F015 prototype.
Its futuristic design allows the "driver" to flip the seat around, kick back and chat, while the luxury sedan whizzes on unaided, keeping an eye on pedestrians and even "talks" with them via a light panel.
Zetsche hailed the innovation as "access to the single most important luxury goods of the 21st century: private space and quality time."
Generation change
The novelty of self-driving cars is also intended to win over younger, eco-conscious generations, who are increasingly turning to bikes, mass transit, or car-sharing.
A 2014 study showed that 41 percent of German car owners would like their next set of wheels to drive themselves. 45 percent of those surveyed went one step further, saying they would give up their car, if they could sign up for a self-driving car service instead, according to market research firm Gartner.
Gartner automotive expert Thilo Koslowski said "consumers are starting to get impatient," and that it's time for carmakers to deliver the future of driving, rather than just prototyped visions.
pad/hg (dpa, AP)