Also at SAE, Helmut Matschi, president of Continental's Interior Division, said that trends appearing in consumer culture are impacting the automotive industry and requiring suppliers to develop innovative, flexible and upgradable in-vehicle electronic architectures. He added that automakers around the world are embracing in-car information management and connectivity trends “by offering compelling, relevant in-vehicle experiences that enhance vehicle safety, comfort and convenience.

Matschi said his division designs products that provide consumers with the ability to enter and start their car at the push of a button, and connect to the outside world to access the information and content they need while enhancing driver focus through intuitive human machine interfaces (HMIs).

Continental has launched its hands-free communication systems with four customers and on five vehicle lines in China. Its next-generation system utilizes Mandarin voice recognition technology that will include text-to-speech. The firm is also participating in a four-year SIM-TD field trial in Germany to investigate how car-to-car and car-to-roadside communication systems can reduce traffic congestion and enhance vehicle safety.