1-2-2015
Cars have become one of the largest attractions at the International Consumer Electronics Show, opening Jan. 6th in Vegas. The biggest buzz on the CES floor? Cars that feature touchscreen dashboards and connected control with smart watches. It's quite a leap since Ford's debut at the 2007 CES. This Year joining Ford are Volkswagen, Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Mazda, Audi, BMW and Chrysler.
The major automakers are following the trends, with consumers saying in-vehicle technology is the top selling point for 39 percent of car buyers, according to a survey last year from the Accenture consulting firm. Connected cars are expected to grow more than fourfold to 152 million by 2020. Even gaming giants such as Nvidia are joining the trend. Danny Shapiro, senior director of Nvidia's automotive business unit noted on Auto News, "Two years ago, our booth would have been filled with PCs and people playing video games. This year we made a strategic decision to shift the focus of the booth on automotive and de-prioritize some of the other things."
The battle over the dashboard is center focus this year at CES, with the biggest players being Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto, systems that mimic the functions of an iPhone or an Android on the cars dashboard touchscreen. Both technologies are scheduled to go on sale early this year.
