You might have noticed something called CES was on in Las Vegas this week. The Consumer Electronics Show has run annually for 50 years now and become as important a show for the auto industry as it is for the makers of consumer electronics and home appliances. This is where you’ll see the next must-have gadgets in multiple segments from TVs to fridges, sound systems to mobile phones. And all sorts of clever new tech for cars. We managed to drag Matthew Beecham away from the likes of LG’s ‘wave’ flexible TV booth roof (their new roll-up TV was also a show hit) to interview auto industry movers and shakers such as Shawn Slusser, vice president, automotive at Infineon Technologies Americas to hear the supplier’s take on making connected/automated cars safe and secure.
That was just one of many chats Matt had in Las Vegas. He also interviewed Sachin Lawande, president and CEO of Visteon, to learn more about how the supplier, which has transitioned from a multi-product, Ford spin-off to a focused electronics supplier with a diverse customer base, is offering digital solutions for the smart cockpit, display audio and the fast-evolving ADAS landscape.
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While ZF remains excited about automated driving, the challenge will require more time and effort to fully realise. The supplier, therefore, sees two distinct paths: Level 2+ for passenger cars, which will take a longer, perhaps more winding road to achieve; and cargo and people movers in defined geo-fenced areas using Level 4 and 5 technology. Matt also caught up with Aaron Jefferson, VP, strategy, marketing and business development at ZF Electronics and ADAS division, to learn more.
Still with CES, Sony’s electric car concept was one of the big surprises of the annual tech event. Magna Steyr reportedly built the prototype while Sony listed Benteler, Blackberry, Bosch, Continental, Elektrobit, Genetex, Nvidia, Qualcomm and ZF Friedrichshafen as partners. Sony said its efforts in the area of mobility – such as “pursuing safety, reliability, comfort and entertainment” – were being positioned as a new initiative, named Vision-S. The prototype vehicle was the first to result from this programme.
Our full CES coverage is here.
With the Chinese vehicle market in sharp decline for much of the last two years, leading Chinese automakers are stepping up their efforts to expand overseas – with key growth markets in the Asia-Pacific region high on their lists of priorities. One of the country’s largest automakers, state-owned SAIC Motor, has taken the lead in establishing a significant presence in the Asia-Pacific region, with a strong network of manufacturing facilities already in place in a number of countries. The company is now focused on rolling out its local sales networks built around the MG (Morris Garages) brand, which the Chinese acquired following the collapse of the UK’s MG Rover in 2005. SAIC Motor hopes to accomplish what many European and US brands have failed to do – to successfully challenge the dominance of the Japanese automakers in the Asia-Pacific region.
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By GlobalDataHella and Oculii have established a strategic partnership to deliver high performance radar sensing and perception solutions for Level 2/3 ADAS and Automated Driving (AD) based on Oculii’s Virtual Aperture Imaging Software Technology. Oculii’s patented Virtual Aperture Imaging software technology significantly increases the angular resolution of a radar phased array – and, it is claimed, dramatically improves safety, reliability and efficiency of ADAS solutions. The software technology scales angular resolution without requiring multiple active transceivers or expensive antenna technologies, creating a cost effective, high performance solution that dramatically enhances existing radar architectures.
Honda Motor aims to become the first Japanese automaker to commercially launch a vehicle fitted with SAE Level 3 autonomous driving technology later this year, according to local reports which suggested the Japanese automaker plans to launch the new model in the second half of 2020, featuring ‘hands-off’ technology that will allow drivers to engage in other activities such as reading and watching TV while driving in slow-moving traffic. This level of technology still requires drivers to remain alert in case of an emergency. Audi is the only other carmaker so far to sell vehicles with Level 3 autonomous driving technology in Japan, in its A8 flagship sedan model, with self-driving capabilities used in slow-moving traffic on expressways.
As promised, former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn held a press conference in Lebanon this week following his dramatic flight from Japan. Speaking publicly for the first time since, he told reporters in Beirut he had been treated “brutally” by Tokyo prosecutors he accused of helping Nissan to oust him as chairman. He told the packed news conference he was not confident he would face a fair trial had he remained in Japan. He fled Japan last month where he was awaiting trial on charges of under reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies.
With the release of Ford’s Q4 2019 numbers on Monday, automakers were able to breathe a sigh of relief: total US light vehicle sales marked a fifth consecutive year above the 17m mark. When the books were closed on 2 January, carmakers had delivered 17.1m cars and light trucks, if not to actual customers then at least to dealers. Our Man in the US has it all.
Have a nice weekend.
Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
