Bryan Johnston

As a former ghostwriter for some of the industries’ top technology firms, Johnston contributes stories about wireless devices, development platforms, industry analysis, V2V and other topics.

More carmakers play CarPlay including Audi, Dodge & Chrysler

morecarsApple CarPlay will be supported by more carmakers that will offer CarPlay in future model cars. The system will only work with lightning connectors for iPhone 5/c/s.

Audi has announced that it will offer Apple’s CarPlay by next year with 2015 models. CarPlay will integrate with Audi’s built-in controls, the Audi MMI touch system, as well as dial controls and voice controls to  activate Siri. Other carmakers that have been added to the CarPlay list are Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep Mazda and RAM.

Nissan Protects Cars from Dirt and Water (Ultra-Ever Dry ) Self-Cleaning Car

NissanselfcleanercloseNissan in Europe is testing new paint technology that repels mud, rain and everyday dirt called a self-cleaning car. It could mean that drivers will say chuck-it to their buckets and sponges.

A European Nissan Note with super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint effectiveness is being by engineers at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in many conditions.

New Ways Audi Future Cars Connect with Autonmous Driverless, Self Parking & Cities Award

audiconnecctThe Audi Urban Future Award 2014 finalists include four teams in four cities developing four projects to connect cars and cities for more efficient transportation, automatic parking and autonomous robotic driverless Audi-piloted Audi cars.

The Audi Urban Future Award connects architects and urban planners, natural scientists and humanists, data specialists and product designers, who will work together to reinvent the future of urban mobility.

Continental Brings 4G LTE to Cars in All Continents

continentalAutomotive supplier Continental announced its new high-speed Telematics module.

It offers 100 Mbps bandwidth where  the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network standard is available. Integrated GPS/GLONASS, and WLAN are in the compact hardware module, making it possible for Continental’s LTE module can be used worldwide.

Drivers Help from VOXX ADAS, DVR, Camera & Parking Sensors

backupcameraVOXX Electronics Corp a subsidiary of VOXX International Corp will enter the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) category with the Driving Video Recorder (DVR), all new Multi-view Camera system and add–on Parking Sensors solutions. This will enable late model car owners to have the latest safety and recording technology.

By 2018, NHTSA will require new cars will be required to have rear view cameras, even if you have an older car, you can have the technology installed.

152 Million Connected Cars in 2020 with $14.5 Billion in Revs & VERY Big Data

BiG dataRevenue from automotive data assets from integrated connected car systems will generate $14.5 billion in revenue by 2020, according to a connected car study from IHS Automotive, driven by Polk.

In Emerging Technologies: Big Data in the Connected Car, IHS Automotive predicts there will be 152 million actively connected cars on global roads by 2020 generating 11.1 petabytes of data.

BMW Top Best Connected Car, #2 GM, #3 Ford & More

BMWiconnectedriveMachina Research in a survey for Vodaphone ranked car maker for sophistication in their connected car experiences.

BMW’s ConnectedDrive was top ranked as the best, followed by GM’s OnStar in second place and third place went to Ford for its embedded offering, followed by Audi and Chrysler.