The year 2018 is gearing up to be a great year for car enthusiasts across the world. All famous car brands will compete to grab the top spot in the global car markets with their upgraded vehicles laced with state-of-the-art performance and technological features. The fundamental focus of the car brands will remain on improving the drivability, safety and in-cabin experience of their vehicles with some amazing new technologies.
Intelligent safety system and technological features are quickly gaining the attention of the car enthusiasts for their ease of use and immense utility. Thanks to such features, we now have cars with safety features that can automatically control the vehicle in a dangerous situation and technologies that can automatically detect the severity of an accident and call the emergency services without any driver or passenger intervention.
According to the norms, luxurious and more expensive vehicles receive the latest advanced features first, however, with the competition heating up, many mainstream models in 2018 are expected to receive advanced safety features regardless of their segment. Additionally, these vehicles are pushing the envelope with plenty of new advanced features that are designed to add to the functionality and utility of the vehicle.
Here are the 8 most exciting new car technologies that are making their debut in 2018.
Super Cruise System
Super Cruise System is the much-awaited semi-autonomous driving system that will be making its debut in 2018. It will be offered in the Cadillac’s flagship CT6 sedan and will be a part of the brand’s current driver assistance systems that include Blind Spot Monitoring, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Auto-Braking and Lane Monitoring System to name a few.
The Super Cruise System will have a self-steering function and advanced LiDAR-scanned mapping system. Although it has limited use on multi-lane highways, the Super Cruise System will still offer an intelligent hands-off and a foot-free autonomous driving experience in which the vehicle will maintain a safe distance with other vehicles.
The speed will be set by the driver, while the vehicle will maintain the speed and lane on its own. The presence of a driver’s attention system with a steering-wheel-mounted camera will keep an eye on the driver’s head position to alert the driver of an emergency situation where the driver’s response will become critical.
If the driver is not paying attention to the road in the Super Cruise mode, the driver assistance system will give a series of visual and audible warnings to alert the driver. If the driver is unresponsive, the vehicle will stop automatically and in case of emergency, the vehicle will contact the emergency services for help.
ENERGIZING Comfort
To be introduced in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, the ENERGIZING Comfort function is ready to take luxury in a vehicle to an entirely new level. Claiming to maximize the driver’s comfort and driving performance, this feature can automatically adjust the climate control, seat cooling, heating and massaging functions, audio system programming, ambient lighting and the vehicle’s automatic fragrance dispensing system. It offers 6 selectable programs and all the features of this amazing luxury technology can be customized as per preference.
Being called the 10-minute mobile spa visits, these selectable programs will enhance “Warmth,” “Freshness,” “Vitality,” “Comfort” and “Joy” of the driver along with the “Training” function that will offer simple exercises to promote muscle activation, muscle relaxation and balance while on the move.
Colored graphic visualizations will be displayed on the infotainment system while the pre-selected music is played in the background. The ENERGIZING Comfort technology will have five pre-installed tunes in the system, however, the driver will have the option to upload songs of his or her own choice.
The 64-hue ambient lighting in the S-Class sedan will also change according to the temperature of the vehicle to create a personalized environment. The system can also make a custom atmosphere that can be set for four separate zones in five intensity levels.
Also read: Hyundai Reveals Healthcare Cockpit Concept for Stress-Free Driving
Intuitive Pedestrian Detection with Active Steering System
The Intuitive Pedestrian Detection with Active Steering System will be introduced in the redesigned Volvo XC60 crossover SUV and Lexus LS sedan. This smart safety technology will be able to take the control of the vehicle away from the driver in emergency situations to avoid imminent collisions. Lexus is calling their new system as “Intuitive Pedestrian Detection with Active Steering System” that will steer the vehicle around and apply the brakes if someone or something is in the path of the vehicle. It will do all this while maintaining the lane.
Volvo is calling this feature Auto-Steering. It will incorporate auto-steering in the vehicle’s low-speed City Safety System to avoid collisions with pedestrians, vehicles or even animals in the XC60’s path. Auto-Steering will also be included in the optional Blind Spot Information System and the brand new Oncoming Lane Mitigation System to avoid any crashes with the adjacent lane vehicles.
Slingbox Streaming
While there are many vehicles that offer built-in Wi-Fi hotspot for the passengers to connect their portable devices to the internet, the upcoming redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator is offering something even better.
The 2018 Navigator is available with dual-screen rear seat entertainment system that can be used with the Slingbox streaming media device. It will let the rear passengers stream TV channels live while they travel.
Clari-Fi System
According to research, the digital music loses 90% of its sonic details when it is loaded and compressed onto a smartphone. To tackle this issue, 2018 Kia Stinger and 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT will come with Harmon’s new Clari-Fi System that is designed to restore the digital audio signals and improve the sound quality.
The new system will scan any compressed audio file and look for the lost music detail. It will then correct the waveform deficiencies to generate crisper, clearer and more dynamic sound quality. This new Clari-Fi System is perfect for music enthusiasts who like to travel while listening to their favorite music.
Genesis Virtual Guide
Genesis is taking the digitalized owner’s manual to the next level with the Genesis Virtual Guide in its 2018 models. This virtual guide uses Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology to bring information about different parts of the vehicle to the user and can be downloaded for free on Android and Apple smartphones and tablets.
This app has 135 how-to videos and 25 3-D overlay images that pop up on a smartphone or tablet’s screen whenever the device’s forward-facing camera is pointed at a particular spot of the interior, exterior, inside the dashboard’s instrument panel or the car’s engine bay.
When aimed at any specific part of the engine, the app will display maintenance instructions. There is also a “button scanner” function that will identify the key control functions of the dashboard instruments and present visual instructions on how to operate those key features.
CabinWatch and CabinTalk
These are ingenious new features that will be available in the 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan. The 2018 Odyssey has been redesigned to have better space and convenience features, among them, are the new CabinWatch and CabinTalk features. As the name suggests, these features will help the parents in keeping their eyes and ears on the children in the backseat without having to turn around constantly.
With the CabinWatch feature, the parents can keep an eye on the children with the help of a camera pointed at the backseats and a display that has been conveniently placed in the dashboard. This feature will come in handy, especially when the parents are driving around with an infant in a rear seat.
The CabinTalk feature allows the rear and front seat passengers to communicate easily without having to shout to be heard. Using microphone in the front roof console and cabin speakers, the CabinTalk feature will allow the driver to speak directly with the backseat passengers without having to shout out load.
Quiet Mode
When it comes to high-performance vehicles, experiencing the amazing throaty sound of the exhaust system is part of the whole experience. Although this can be an exhilarating experience for the driver, it can be a little annoying for the neighbors.
To maintain a peaceful environment, the 2018 Mustang has been updated with a new “Quiet Mode.” This mode will essentially muffle the roar of the vehicle to a bare minimum and will allow the driver to get the vehicle out of garage and on to the road. The Quiet Mode can be deactivated at any time and you can adjust the audible aggression with the help of multiple selectable levels.
Also read: Facelifted Ford Mustang 2018 Released With Impressive Performance Upgrades
Final Thoughts
The year 2018 is expected to be a good year for car enthusiasts with new technologies lined up to play a vital role in improving driving and in-cabin experience of the upcoming cars. The addition of these advanced technologies will not only add to the perform capabilities of the new vehicles but will also make driving these vehicles more pleasing, entertaining, convenient and safe.
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