The
steady democratization of autonomous car technology continues at the 2016
Consumer Electronics Show, with populist South Korean automaker Kia announcing Tuesday that it
is stepping up its mission to create a self-driving car for the masses by 2030.
In
the nearer term, Kia executive vice
president Seung Ho Hwang said the company was rebranding its suite of
driver-assist technologies as DriveWise and will integrate features such as
fully automated parking and highway driving assist into much of its model range
by 2020.
"We
will be investing $2 billion in the next two years on these technologies, so
that a better quality of life goes not just to select people but to all our
customers," Hwang said.
Kia execs also announced that the
company will begin testing its fully autonomous prototype, based on its Sol
electric vehicle, on Nevada roads soon. A more high-tech self-driving concept
car dubbed the Novo features partially automated driving features as well as
in-vehicle payment and start-button security that relies on a fingerprint. That
same fingerprint, once scanned, automatically tees up the driver's infotainment
and app preferences.
While
Kia's news won't mean
anything to consumers in the near term, it is a clear signal that cutting edge
and safety-focused automotive technology is no longer just the domain of
high-end luxury manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Tesla.
A
few Kia videos screened at the
press conference also hinted at the ride-sharing applications of low-cost
autonomous cars. In one, a shopper at an outdoor market is seen talking into
her wrist; minutes later the car she has summoned from a nearby parking spot
drives itself into view. In another more whimsical scene, a hang-glider drifts
toward earth as his driverless vehicle follows along beneath him to a
pre-arranged rendezvous spot.
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