CE Industry Playing 'Significant' Role in Development of ADAS Tech, Says Report

The CE market is playing a significant role in development of autonomous driving technologies, reported Futuresource analyst Mike Fisher Friday. “The car is the next entertainment and communications battleground,” Fisher said, and as the technologies become commoditized, CE technology is being used to differentiate car makers’ products through entertainment and productivity enhancements, Fisher said. The automotive market could be a significant revenue driver for many CE players as a result. The worldwide passenger car market is expected to reach 85 million vehicles this year, growing to more than 100 million shipments in 2025, with most of that growth to be driven by developing nations, but markets including the U.S., U.K. and Western Europe, having reached a saturation point, “show significant opportunities for high-tech autonomous driving and in car entertainment systems,” he said. Amazon, Apple and Google -- with expertise in artificial intelligence -- have the chance to “dive deeper into vehicle ecosystems, enabling passengers to bring their digital lives inside the car,” said Fisher, citing personal virtual assistants, and personalization using AI and facial recognition. Fuel and parking payments, toll payments and postal deliveries to vehicles “will all become commonplace, together with more targeted retail and e-commerce services,” he said. By 2020, the first advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) Level 4 vehicles will allow the driver to be completely distracted by other tasks in most driving scenarios, said the researcher. He referenced concepts shown by Mercedes, Hyundai and Toyota, and 3D holographic virtual assistants demo'd by BMW.