It appears as though the auto industry is finally catching on the saying: ‘it’s what’s inside that counts.’ Forget talk of body design and construction. It’s all about the connected car. Take for example the new technology V-W is putting inside its new souped-up golf. And it’s not just Volkswagen. According to industry watcher IHS Automotive, the number of cars that connect to the internet around the world will grow to roughly 150 million in 2020. That’s up from today’s 23 million. But, every automaker from GM to Mercedes to Ford has its own idea of what a connected car means. Ford CEO Mark Fields said, ‘Smart mobility for us is using innovation to take us to the next level. In terms of mobility, the connected car, autonomous vehicles, the whole customer experience. So we’re not only thinking of ourselves as a car, utility and truck company, but also as a mobility company and using innovation to help solve some of the world’s most pressing traffic and congestion issues.’ Visteon CEO Tim Leuliette believes the focus by automakers on the technology that’s inside a car is simple. He said, ‘Each of the OEMs see this as ground zero of FHE competitive environment going forward. The performance issues are getting comparable, handling is getting comparable, this whole interface, the connected car, the cockpit ecosystem, the vehicle to mobile device. That’s the next frontier.’ It’s a frontier that’s not light years away. In the not too distant future, your car will arrive at its destination, having practically driven itself.
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