Car tech for the masses

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A Telematics Research Group report (PDF) says that 2008 will be the car-model year that sees high-tech navigation and communication make its way from luxury models to standard or optional equipment across the majority of all car models.
Bluetooth, touch screens and parking assistance have gone from being on some cars in 2007 to the majority of cars in 2008.
"Any safety tech based on sensors will also become very popular...They are relatively inexpensive for the OEM to implement since the components have come down way low in price. And they also have value for the customer," said Phil Magney, co-founder and principal analyst of Telematics Research Group.

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The iDrive was initially billed by BMW as an "ergonomic concept designed to make operating the myriad functions inside the car easier." But drivers and critics said it was too hard to initially figure out and dubbed it the "iCrash" when it was first introduced on the 2002 BMW 7-series (at right).
"The 7-series is one of our most expensive and tends to be purchased by customers that are older than our overall average demographic. And for some of those people--they just were not terribly computer literate. The younger demographics, in cars like the 3-series once iDrive made it there--those people found it much easier to use," said Thomas Plucinsky, BMW product and technology communications manager.
BMW redesigned the iDrive with a simpler interface for the BMW 5-series in 2005 (at left). The position and shape of the controller has also changed slightly.

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On-board navigation--built-in mapping that gives directions and helps drivers choose a route--is another area that people can expect to see major changes on even budget car models.
Volkswagen has been working with Google and Nvidia to develop a navigation system that incorporates the realistic look of Google's 3D maps with weather and traffic updates in real-time.
"Next evolution of navigation will be about how I get there the fastest and the safest, and traffic data becomes very important...Long term is where every car sends a signal and you now have a dynamic organization that's giving traffic information as it happens. But that's down the road...2013 or 2015...somewhere in that range," said Frank Weith, technical strategy manager for Volkswagen of America.
Credit: Volkswagen/Google

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Lane-departure-warning or lane-assist systems use cameras to detect lane markings on the road and warn drivers when they drift out of lane. (They don't go off if the driver has put the turn signal on.) Some manufacturers use a beep as a warning. Others, such as Audi and BMW, vibrate the steering wheel. The vibration method is meant to simulate a feeling drivers are already used to when they drift off-road and are met with a rumble strip," BMW's Plucinsky said.
For more on the technology, check out this CNET video.
Credit: Audi


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Blind-spot detection systems are making their way onto several cars. This is a feature that uses radar sensors to detect when an object is in a car's "blind spot." Drivers are warned by an audible beep or a flashing light on their side or rear-view mirrors.
Credit: Valeo Raytheon

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Several reports have surfaced that Apple is developing something that would combine maintenance, entertainment, communication and navigation for cars into one device and that Mercedes will be the first to feature it.
The partnership would make sense given the fact that the two already partnered on iPod integration in 2005 for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class (shown here). Apple has refused to comment.
Credit: DaimlerChrysler

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Nissan introduced a concept system in early August to prevent people from driving while intoxicated. It includes a high-sensitivity alcohol odor sensor in the shifter that can detect alcohol levels above the legal limit in the sweat from a driver's palm (at left). If a driver is found to be drunk, the car automatically locks the transmission to prevent the person from driving. The car also has odor sensors in the driver and passenger seats (at right).
Credit: Nissan