Auto-makers equipping cars with hi-tech features

While India has been acclaimed the world over for its low-cost innovations in automobiles-such as the Tata Nano, its roads have rarely seen machines equipped with state-of-the-art technology fit for autophiles. But that is changing rapidly.

Increasingly, carmakers are loading their vehicles with nifty gizmos that make driving on Indian roads a lot more pleasurable and safer. A case in point is Ford's compact SUV Ecosport, which was launched on Wednesday. While the jury is still out on whether the vehicle will revive the American automaker's fortunes in India, its technology has already found many fans.

Priced aggressively at Rs 5.59 lakh onwards, it is equipped with Ford's Sync system that makes using the in-car phone and multimedia a lot easier. A person can make a call, play music and get text messages read out with voice commands. This system also improves safety as it allows the driver to keep both hands on the wheel.

Experts said the trend of adopting advanced technology could be attributed to the changing tastes of the Indian car buyer. "Indian consumers are not exposed to technology and in many cases do not consider many technologies as the key factor in the decision-making process. This is changing," said VG Ramakrishnan, managing director of South Asia and global co-leader for automotive practice at Frost & Sullivan.

Vinay Piparsania, an executive director at Ford India, said Sync can recognise up to 150 unique voice commands and has been tested to pick up a wide range of accents and vocabulary.

Such innovations could also help lure buyers in a depressed market. Car sales in India fell an annual 12.3% in May-for the seventh straight month-according to data from industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Similarly, Mahindra offers advanced technologies such as app-controlled multimedia, real-time tyre pressure monitoring, mood lighting and voice commands in its SUV XUV500.

Rajan Wadhera, chief executive of technology, product development and sourcing at Mahindra & Mahindra, said the company's "Blue Sense" system allows users to control their in-car infotainment system through their mobile phones. "The complete owner's manual for the vehicle has also been digitised and loaded into the car's infotainment system."

German luxury car brand Audi is going a lot further. For the S6 sedan, which is to be launched in India later this year, four microphones will be strategically placed in the roof liner to cancel out unwanted noise, making the car's interior a lot quieter. "Audi's virtual cockpit is the instrument cluster of the future," said Michael Perschke, head of Audi India. "It enables driving, environmental and infotainment information to be tailored to each situation." In the Audi, it will be possible to see 3D in-car displays from various angles. Other innovations that could soon hit the Indian roads include night vision with pedestrian detection, which carmakers like Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been offering for some time now.

Infrared cameras mounted on the front of the car that "see" much farther than the human eye will feed the images to display inside the vehicle. The system picks out pedestrians and other moving objects, alerting the driver much ahead of time.

"In the near future, we will see systems that are able to assume the complete driving task for a limited period of time, if so desired by the driver," said Perschke. Audi calls this piloted driving. 

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