Newspress Topic special
07.01. 2015
A ot the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the mix could hardly be more colorful: huge booths of chip manufacturers and television manufacturers, a few car companies in between and the whole thing interspersed with small craft shops selling mobile phone cases. And yet it quickly becomes clear: Everyone loves the car.
The star of the CES is likely to be Polaris, albeit a rather secret one. Who is Polaris? Actually a snowmobile manufacturer from Minnesota who now builds pretty potent quads and ATVs, but also a three-wheeled open two-seater. The Slingshot is said to weigh only 790 kilograms and is powered by a 173 hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder. Sounds like fun and looks spectacular, which is why some exhibitors park the tricycle as an eye-catcher between speakers, tablets or television. And there are numerous other Polaris products distributed across the halls, always somehow sloping, always off-road, always high-legged - and always surrounded. A car also attracts many visitors to the hopelessly overcrowded Panasonic stand: a Tesla Model X. Kenwood demonstrates its expertise in the construction of displays on a McLaren MP4-12C, hi-fi companies adorn themselves with thundered-up Toyota GT86 and wild Cadillac Eldorado conversions . Cars always pull.
Mercedes wants to let you drive
It goes without saying that the few manufacturers want to distinguish themselves as well. Above all Mercedes with the F015 Luxury in Motion study. Bulky name, smoothly sucked shell, but probably the most consistent implementation of the topic 'autonomous driving' so far, reduced to a large, comfortable interior, chassis and drive only play second fiddle. Wouldn't that wean people from driving themselves? ' Yes, that can be true, although modern assistance systems are actually supposed to enable the driver to concentrate on the actual driving, ”says Jürgen Weissinger, Head of Vehicle Concepts and Future Trends at Mercedes. Oh well. Such a concept could become a reality in 2030 and somehow the F015 seems quite far removed from the rest of the fair, which doesn't seem as visionary as one might imagine.
Autonomous parking and intelligent lighting at BMW
At BMW, long queues form for test drives with M3 and M4 modelsSweep from the parking lot with a roaring engine until the first countless traffic lights slow you down a few meters further on. The i3 can now park by itself, but the technology cannot yet be offered due to legal inconsistencies. The lighting technology of the M4 Iconic Lights Concept is completely different, although a developer admitted behind closed doors that the decisive advantage of the OLED is not being used at all. They are extremely small and thin, but are still in the familiar rear light housing - for the sake of appearance. Instead, a seat box shows what the first gesture-controlled functions of the next seven look like: uncomplicated and logical, but for the sake of security only five in number. Everything else still obeys the iDrive controller, voice control or - new - the touchscreen.
VW controls with a gesture, Audi charges without it Cable
Gesture control and autonomous parking apparently also drives VW, as demonstrated by some E-Gölfe in the outdoor area and the Golf R Touch in the hall. Audi now also likes to drive and a lot autonomously, but here, too, customers have to wait a few years for the complete package. Hopefully, A3 E-Tron drivers don't have to be as patient, because the inductive charging station shown at the CES is really smart, works everywhere and, thanks to its variable height, also with other electric or plug-in hybrid models that may be coming.
Ford, GM and Hyundai less crazy
Ford and GM, on the other hand, prefer to show what their latest operating concepts can do , but nothing groundbreaking, the same goes for Hyundai. The Toyota Mirai with fuel cell looks by far the most pioneering, albeit dubious, elegance. Yes, and that is the decisive factor, from this year the sedan can be bought by everyone. Also not far away: the convex and concave curved control element with AMOLED technology shown by Continental. It delivers a razor-sharp display, reacts quickly and precisely and also looks pretty chic. However, one manufacturer is certainly not one of the future customers of this component: Polaris.
