German engineering meets Silicon Valley was the theme of a Monday keynote presentation, hosted by TV actor Kunal Nayyar, star of the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The actor performed emcee duties as several industry leaders took the stage.
“The word automobile actually means self moving,” Nayyar explained, before introducing Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association and Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management of Audi AG. The pair drove onto the stage in a chauffeured Horch, suggesting that the concept of a “piloted” vehicle once meant a hired driver. That definition is poised for change as cars are increasingly designed with autonomous features.
“When you think of CES cars are not the very consumer product that comes to mind,” said Shapiro. “But the truth is that cars have become mobile technology platforms. Auto makers are rapidly adding innovation that allows cars to be personalized and drivers to be connected. When you think of German engineering you automatically think of cars.”
Audi has been at the forefront of automobile innovation for more than 100 years Shapiro added, while the auto maker has taken a lead with infotainment, driver assistance and notably piloted drivers. It is in that development of autonomous cars that Audi is now rapidly charging ahead. One step toward that future is the integration of Google’s Android OS.
Audi is now working on technologies that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and let the vehicle do its job.
“Today we are redefining what piloted driving means for a new era,” said Audi’s Stadler. “As I see the history of the automobile falls into four eras.”
“Today we see a period of major changes,” he suggested, “And the fourth era is the one in which we move from refining the automobile to redefining mobility.”
This is how Audi is now helping close the gap from consumer electronics and the automobile. This pilotless driving effort has seen Audi partner with industry leaders in electronics along with the creative power of Silicon Valley. To highlight these partnerships, Stadler was joined on stage by Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, and Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder, president and CEO of nVIDIA.
“Audi has always been on the cutting edge of technology,” said de la Vega, “They worked on the connected car long before most.”
De la Vega announced that AT&T will power the Audi A3 family with AT&T 4G LTE. “We’re not just a network to our connected car partners,” he added, “AT&T Drive is a solution that we can take to automakers like Audi so they can be innovative but still differentiate. We’ve got all the tools that an auto maker needs to create an awesome connected car experience. Most important, we’re flexible.”
“There is no one size fits all,” de la Vega added. “Drivers are different and Audi is an innovator that looks to be different than the other guy.”
