All the most important car tech that came out of CES 2017
Reuters/Benoit Tessier
Automakers once again made a big splash at the Consumer Electronics Show this year.
Ford, Mercedes, BMW, FCA, Volkswagen and more showed off new automotive tech ranging from self-driving systems and electric cars to new user interfaces.
In total, some nine automotive manufacturers, 11 tier-one auto suppliers, and more than 300 vehicle tech-related exhibitors were in attendance at the massive tech conference.
Here's a breakdown of the most important car tech to come out of the show.
Ford debuted its new autonomous test vehicle.
FordFord showed off its next-generation Fusion hybrid autonomous vehicle, which will be used in Ford's test fleet. It features more processing power and new hardware, including improved lidar sensors with a sleek design that makes them less obvious.
Ford also officially announced that it was adding Alexa to its vehicles.
FordThe integration will let Ford users with SYNC 3 access Alexa, Amazon's cloud-based voice service, inside the car to do things like check the weather, play audiobooks, add items to shopping lists, and even control Alexa enabled smart home devices.
For example, you could tell Alexa to set your smart thermometer to a certain temperature or turn on the lights at your house while you're driving. Ford will begin rolling out this feature in its vehicles with SYNC 3 this summer.
What's more, though, the automaker also announced that owners of some vehicles will be able to also use Alexa while at home to perform certain vehicle functions beginning later this month.
Owners of the Ford Focus Electric, Fusion Energi, and the C-MAX Energi will soon be able to use their Amazon Echo or Dot at home to do things like lock or start the car remotely by simply saying "Alexa, ask my FordMobile to lock my car," or "Alexa, ask my FordMobile to start my car."
BMW showed off its new HoloActive Touch system.
BMWBMW debuted a new user interface concept for the interior of the car called the HoloActive Touch system at the show.
The system is a virtual "free floating" display that's controlled via finger gestures, not a touchscreen. The system is designed so that the user receives haptic feedback so that it feels like touching a button.
It's a little complicated, but basically the system uses sensors to detect where your finger is pointing and then a vent shoots air to that location to provide haptic feedback.
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