Untitled Document Home
Chef & Hotel Profile
Publisher's Page
Gift Guide
Travel Adventures
Epicurean Events
Health Minded
Spa Baby Secrets
Sips
Book Bites
Culinary Coup
Sense of Style
Kids Kaleidoscope
Tinsletown Tidbits
Wheels
Radio Show & Links
Contact Us


WHEELS   .   .   .

DETROIT AUTO SHOW REVIEW

by Jason Gordon

While the Detroit Auto Show has always been known as an event where car makers show off their latest tech and most advanced ideas, 2017 has been exceptional in how much innovation has been produced. As the 21st century continues, it is becoming increasingly clear that not only will cars change, but our relationship with cars will change, as drivers move away from traditional fuels - and even from driving itself. As such, world automakers are focusing equally on electricity and self-driving innovations, with the goal of creating vehicles which are safer, easier to use, and more practical than ever before.

Chief among these is the 2017 Chevy Bolt, which unlike much of the innovation on display this year, will actually go on sale in the coming months. Chevy has long played second fiddle to Toyota when it comes to hybrid vehicles, and in a surprising move, it has made the leap directly into the economy electric vehicle, competing with the likes of the Nissan Leaf or BMW i3. However, the Bolt has both the Leaf and i3 beat in one very important feature: milage. With a range of 238 miles on a single charge, the Bolt is capable of making long-ish trips without recharging.

This is achieved through a combination of larger batteries and lighter build materials. Being the first fully electric car to enter the consumer market with more than 200 miles per charge earned the Bolt "Car of the Year 2017," a prize no electric car has previously obtained.

The biggest innovation goes to Waymo, the self-driving car company spun off by Alphabet (Google's parent company). For years, self-driving cars have been presented as quirky, oddly shaped machines that put form over function. These vehicles were also very, very expensive, as every component needed to be custom built. Waymo has surprised everyone by turning an ordinary Chrysler Pacifica minivan into a self-driving vehicle. The 2017 Pacifica already won awards for its practicality and features as a minivan, but Waymo has shown that, with the addition of external sensors and a computer override, it can become a self-driving vehicle.

This innovation hints that upcoming self-driving cars may not be small, quirky and expensive specialized vehicles, but existing vehicles converted at a fraction of the cost. We have already seen companies such as Uber try their hand in the driverless technology, but haven’t seen it on a wide scale yet. This technology obviously has to be absolutely, 100% perfect for it to be sold to consumers, and we are still a while away from that.

Electric innovation is also at the heart of the Volkswagen I.D. Buzz. In an effort to break away from the diesel emissions scandal, VW has shifted its future focus to electricity, with board member Herbert Diess stating that VW's future is in electric vehicles exclusively. The I.D. Buzz, while only a concept, is certainly a demonstration of this. While the I.D. Buzz has an electric system similar to the Tesla Model X, the I.D. Buzz has taken advantage of the removal of a transmission and driveshaft to achieve more interior space.

Rather than focusing on battery or engine technology, VW has chosen to focus on making its electric vehicles "feel big," keeping in line with their tradition of roomy small cars. This is done by developing large, flat batteries which can fit in the floorboards, as well as a large, rear-mounted, rear-wheel drive engine beneath the back seats.

____________________________________

Volkswagen at CES 2017: “We are always on.”

Always having your own profile and personal preferences with you – show visitors experience new individual connectivity via the Volkswagen Ecosystem

"Interactive Experience" shows the next development stage of intuitive controls

Visionary I.D. concept car combines the digitally connected world with an electrically powered car which can drive fully autonomously if you wish

Wolfsburg, 5 January 2017 – True to the slogan "We are always on." Volkswagen is enabling visitors to experience its ideas about the mobility of tomorrow at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). In the age of digitalisation, it diverges from the classic relationship between customer and car to a new mobile community – intelligently connected and sustainably transported. The focus is on connected individual users and their personal digital preferences. On a digital platform – the Volkswagen Ecosystem – visitors have an opportunity to configure personal settings and services conveniently with their own Volkswagen User-ID and take them along wherever they wish, independent of a specific vehicle. Show visitors can fully experience the innovative functions of the Volkswagen Ecosystem live. In addition, the company is presenting the next milestones of intuitive user operation with its Volkswagen Digital Cockpit (3D), Eyetracking and AR Head-up Display. All of these features culminate in the I.D., a vehicle concept for a new era. It combines the digitally connected world with an electrically powered car that can drive fully autonomous, if desired. This unifies the Volkswagen innovation fields of Connected Community, Intuitive Usability, Smart Sustainability and Automated Driving.

Even today, nearly all Volkswagen models have App Connect. Regardless of which smartphone customers use, practically any device can be integrated via MirrorLink, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. At CES, the company is showing that ecosystems from suppliers fit perfectly with the Volkswagen Ecosystem. Human, car and environment are interconnected via the Volkswagen User-ID. With this User-ID, drivers will in future be able to take their personal digital settings and services along with them wherever they go – regardless of which Volkswagen (personal or rental vehicle) or the service provider. This creates a totally new user experience.

Show visitors can experience this live in Las Vegas using the Volkswagen CES app (for iOS and Android). With this app visitor create their own profile – i.e. a Volkswagen User-ID set up for the show – with new, innovative functions that are assigned to the user. At the individual user stations, show visitors can quickly and easily configure settings for their personal ID. Many different functions, such as selecting a preferred ambient light setting, can be performed directly within the app itself. All settings are stored online. In the Connected Car, show visitors can then try out their personal configuration live.

There is no infotainment experience without intuitive controls. "Even in the digital age, the Volkswagen objective remains the same: user operation must be easy, and the ergonomics perfect. It is with this goal in mind that we are continually developing the communication pathways between human and car," says Frank Welsch, Head of Development for the Volkswagen brand. At this year's CES, "Interactive Experience" represents a logical extension of operating concepts already presented in the Golf R Touch (CES 2015) and BUDD-e (CES 2016). The Volkswagen Digital Cockpit (3D) is making its debut, for instance. Here, two overlaid screens produce a fascinating depth effect and excellent image quality.

Eyetracking offers a look at how vehicle features can be operated even quicker and easier in combination with touch and gesture control. Finally, the real and virtual worlds merge into one with the AR Head-up Display. It projects virtual information graphics ahead of the vehicle. Natural positioning of this information on the road itself seamlessly blends the display into the surroundings, making it easier for the driver to see and comprehend it at once – and this reduces driver distraction significantly.

The visionary I.D. concept car promises a totally new driving experience. It is the first Volkswagen to be based on the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB), and with its maximum driving range of up to 600 kilometres it makes "zero emissions" a natural way of driving. But the I.D. is not only a trailblazer in long-distance electric mobility. "At the same time, it sets standards for connectivity and user operation concepts. Many of the innovations which we are showing at this year's CES can be found in the I.D.," says Christian Senger, Product Line Leader for the I.D., and he adds: "The production version will launch in 2020. The show car we are showing today already forges links to the year 2025 – as the first Volkswagen concept car to offer the fully autonomous "I.D. Pilot" driving mode. At CES, Volkswagen is presenting this concept car to the American public for the first time.


2008
March 08 | April 08 | May 08 | June 08 | July 08 | August 08 | September 08 | October 08 | November 08 | December 08 | January 09 | March 09 | February 09 | April 09 | May 09 | June 09 | July 09 | August 09 | September 09 | October 09 | October 10 | November 09 | December 09 | January 10 | February 10 | March 10 | April 10 | May 10 | June 10 | July 10 | August 10 | September 10 | November 10 | December 10 | January 11 | February 11 | March 11 | April 11 | May 11 | June 11 | July 11 | August 11 | September 11 | October 11 | November 11 | December 11 | January 12 | February 12 | March 12 | March 12 | April 12 | May 12 | June 12 | July 12 | August 12 | September 12 | October 12 | November 12 | December 12 | January 13 | February 13 | March 13 | April 13 | May 13 | June 13 | July 13 | August 13 | September 13 | October 13 | October | November 13 | December 13 | January 14 | February 14 | July 14 | March 14 | April 14 | May 14 | June 14 | August 14 | September 14 | October 14 | November 14 | December 14 | January 15 | February 15 | March 15 | April 15 | May 15 | June 15 | July 15 | August 15 | September 15 | October 15 | November 15 | December 15 | January 16 | February 16 | March 16 | April 16 | May 16 | June 16 | July 16 | August 16 | September 16 | October 16 | November 16 | December 16 | January 17 | February 17 | March 17 | April 17 | May 17 | June 17 | July 17 | August 17 | September 17 | October 17 | December 17 | January 18 | September 18 | February 18 | March 18 | April 18 | May 18 | June 18 | July 18 | August 18 | October 18 | November 18 | December 18 | January 19 | February 19 | July 20 | February 19 | March 19 | March | April 19 | May 19 | June 19 | July 19 | August 19 | September 19 | October 19 | November 19 | December 19 | January 20 | February 20 | March 20 | April 20 | May 20 | June 20 | August 20 | September 20 | October 20 | November 20 | December 20 | January 21 | February 21 | March 21 | April 21 | May 21 | June 21 | July 21 | August 21 | September 21 | October 21 | November 21 | December 21 | January 22 | February 22 | March 22 | April 22 | May 22 | June 22 | July 22 | August 22 | September 22 | October 22 | November 22 | December 22 | January 23 | February 23 | March 23 | April 23 | May 23 | June 23 | July 23 | September 23 | October 23 | November 23 | December 23 | January 24 | February 24 | February 08

© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved