6
0Hello, welcome to QuickDrive, the podcast that gets you a glimpse into China’s car market.
Amongst them, in today’s episode,
00:09 CES2024, The world's premier tech show, kicked off last week in Las Vegas. In many ways, CES has replaced traditional auto shows as the preferred venue to showcase futuristic vehicle concepts and technologies. Let's take a look at the hottest in-car technologies that is about to make a difference to our mobility life.
00:28 This year's overarching theme was how AI is being integrated into just about everything we use — including our cars, where the experience is increasingly being defined by software.
00:41 Volkswagan integrated ChatGPT to its innovative IDA(读埃达) voice control system. One can adjust the cabin temperature by simply saying I'm cold, or navigate to a nearby restaurant without typing. The IDA system will be loaded onto VW’s all electric ID. models, and some of its ICE cars.
00:59 Mercedes' latest virtual assistant will respond to "I'm hungry" with restaurant recommendations, even cheerily summarizing menus and reviews to help the driver choose.
01:10 China display giant BOE presented the 45-inch 8K borderless smart screen equipped in Geely's all-electric model Galaxy E8. It is equipped with AI large models, enabling AI voice chat, AI rhythm, and an AI time engine. It also allows both the driver and the passenger operate on different screen areas at the same-time.
01:31 Zeekr 007 appeared on Valeo's booth, showcased its ZEEKR STARGATE smart lighting system, a 90-inch light curtain with more than 1,700 lamp beads. The lights have an industry-leading 10,000 nits of brightness and support personalized projection so the driver can interact with cars and pedestrians in the surrounding world.
01:53 And of course, CES wasn’t only about in-car software, car makers also came to show off their shiny new concept vehicles pointing to their future plans.
02:02 Hyundai's first electric flying taxi, dubbed the S-A2, made its debut at the show. The V-tail electric car can fly at speeds up to 120 mph (miles per hour) at 1,500 feet height. And the urban air taxis could be shuttling passengers on 25- to 40-mile trips starting in 2028.
02:23 Kia unveiled a lineup of futuristic electric vans, trucks, and ride-hailing and last-mile delivery vehicles. They're unique because they share a modular platform, with a fixed driver cab and inter-changeable bodies, or "life modules." Kia is partnering with Uber to design a ride-hailing version of the first model, the Kia PV5, with features like personalized rider settings and rear seat entertainment.
02:50 Sony follows suit of its Chinese counterparts Huawei and Xiaomi to make cars. Can you imagine playing racing games with you PS5 DualSense, and the next minute, you are driving a real car with it? Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture between the two Japanese companies, made it come true with their first car Afeela. The company will open order books for the Afeela in 2025 when production is scheduled to kick off. North American deliveries are earmarked for early 2026.
03:18 If you are a big fan of The Transformers, you should not miss Chinese automaker Xpeng's AeroHT eVTOL Flying Car. With the propeller arms folded in, someone can drive it around in the normal manner as driving a Lamborghini-style supercar EV gets. And when the driver hits traffic, they can open up the flying apparatus and take to the skies. The company says mass production of the flying car is set to begin in the last quarter of 2025. When will you be able to see it flying in streets, however, will largely depends on local aviation regulations’ permission.
That concludes this edition of the QuickDrive, the podcast that gets you a glimpse into China’s car market. I am Juliet Ye, thank you so much for listening, see you next time.
