Internet on wheels - International Pages - Brief Article

Electronics Times, Oct 9, 2000

Anthony Clark looks at the latest telematics systems, on show in Paris

Visitors to this year's Mondial de l'Automobile exhibition in Paris (30 September to 15 October) will find 5000sq m dedicated to the convergence of the Internet and the car. In effect, the whole of Paris Expo hall 8 has been given over to interactive automotive technology. The show's organisers have dubbed it the Cyber Hall.

Automotive suppliers, access and service providers have combined forces to create a suite of applications which will start appearing in new cars during the coming 12 months.

The first signs of these applications are already apparent - last March, PSA Peugeot Citroaen and French communications giant Vivendi announced a joint venture to develop Wappi, a multi-access Internet portal. It aims to give motorists access to a wide range of up-to-date travel information via an in-vehicle screen and a GSM mobile telephone. Wappi includes assistance and emergency service links, user guides and maintenance tips, and it will also have the ability to carry out a remote diagnosis on vehicle breakdowns.

According to Jean-Martin Folz, PSA chairman, by the end of 2002, around 80% of Citroaen and Peugeot vehicles will be capable of offering this service.

Delphi Automotive Systems' Communiport Mobile Productivity Centre, available later this year in Cadillac's DeVille and Seville models, will enable drivers to dock their Palm Pilot into the dashboard, allowing them to send and receive e-mails. Also, using voice recognition, calls can be made from the Palm Pilot's contacts list.

Estimating technology take-up is never an exact science. But current predictions suggest that telematics and other related technologies will grow by approximately 30% each year during the next five years. This will include in-car entertainment such as advanced audio systems that will enable drivers to download MP3 files and receive radio via satellite links. Ford has already committed itself to taking these applications to market in the US.

Visteon has announced its ICES (information, communication, entertainment and security) system that the company claims will help drivers stay connected to the world. ICES, which provides e-mail, stock quotes and navigation data, uses Palm, Intel and Microsoft technologies and can be controlled hands-free via Visteon's voice technology. Now when you talk to your car it will be able to respond.

The Ford Motor Company has formed an alliance with PSA to co-operate in Europe on automotive telecoms. The alliance will include automotive design and engineering of telematics as well as the development of services and mobile technology. The companies plan to complete an agreement by the end of the year, and are open to other companies joining the alliance.

Jac Nasser, Ford's CEO, said at the opening of the Paris auto show that the telematics deal is yet another area of co-operation between Ford and PSA.

Ford's move comes at a time when General Motors (GM) looks like building a market lead in telematics, partly due to an agreement to install its OnStar systems in future Toyotas and Hondas. Ford's Japanese presence is weaker with Nissan as the only other major manufacturer committed to purchasing its Wingcast technology.

But Ford may be in a better position in the longer term as its Wingcast is based around a portable phone, unlike OnStar which is built on a device that will work only in the hard-wired environment of the car.

Dennis Walsh, OnStar's chief technology officer, believes his company's approach has real advantages: "We're putting as little computer power as possible in the car and making the network deliver the content or make the connection." In this way, GM will be able to continuously upgrade an owner's OnStar service for as long as he or she owns the car.

Copyright: United Business Media Ltd.