A Major-League Two-Timer

A Strong Presence for Automakers at Electronics Trade Fairs

Major automakers themselves are actively involved with current IT and electronics issues and are appearing at the largest trade fairs for these two sectors. In January 2016, there were no fewer than 150 automotive companies on the list of exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which was originally devoted to entertainment electronics. It now attracts anything related to electric current. From now on, that will mean a growing number of powertrains for cars. Accordingly, electric mobility attracted a great deal of attention in Las Vegas, along with smart on-board services and autonomous driving.

In the “intelligent mobility” category, Nissan put its focus on autonomous driving, introducing its Seamless Autonomous Mobility (SAM) technology platform, which makes it possible for self-driving cars to respond to unforeseen situations – for example, the scene of an accident. In these cases, the vehicle makes contact with a command center that evaluates the situation and gives the car a plan for continuing the trip. The solution is stored immediately in the cloud and, if necessary, passed on to other vehicles in the fleet.

Digitization as Driver

These examples show that it is increasingly a matter of course for automakers to present their clever, IT-based solutions at electronics and technology gatherings. This trend is likely to continue since digitization and electric mobility will play a growing role in the auto industry. That’s how Thomas Hausch, Managing Director, Nissan Center Europe GmbH, sees things.