3 Car Companies That'll Be Showing Off NVIDIA-based Technology at Detroit Auto Show

Audi

Audi unveiled three new cars, including the next generation SQ5 sports SUV, the A5/S5 Cabriolet, and the highly anticipated Q8 concept SUV. The first two models use NVIDIA for their Virtual Cockpit, which house info for the driver all in one place, directly behind the steering wheel.

The highlight: the world premiere of the Q8 concept. Coated in a vibrant Bombay blue paint finish the full-size luxury SUV boasts the elegance of a coupe with the functionality of an SUV. What gets our gears turning, however, is the breadth of integrated tech throughout the vehicle.

The Q8 has three screens in the cockpit. There’s a multi-media touch screen display and a climate control display in the centre of the dashboard. Directly in front of the driver there’s a second-generation Virtual Cockpit that uses intelligent augmented reality technology. All three displays are powered by NVIDIA, providing an exceptionally precise and smooth visuals.

Also, when the production version of the Q8 comes out, the model will also feature zFAS, which is Audi’s central driver assistance controller for level 3 autonomy, powered by NVIDIA. The first model to use this tech will the 2018 A8, which is slated to hit dealerships later this year.

All this tech, explained Scott Keogh, President of Audi America, is about more than just good looks. It’s part of Audi’s effort to create a “25th hour,” to help give commuters their time back, making your Audi, in a sense, a time machine.

Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes Concept EQ.

The highlight here is the Mercedes Concept EQ. First introduced at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, the Concept EQ gives us a peek at the next generation of EVs.

Step inside the swoopy SUV, and you’ll find an enormous 24-inch TFT HD screen, which displays all the relevant information needed for the driver. Powered by NVIDIA, this driver-oriented cockpit display is different from the current lineup of production cars. Or anything else you’ve ever seen in a car.

It’s just one example of what Daimler AG CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche — known as Known as “Dr. Z” — says is the automaker’s focus on four being “connected, autonomous, shared, electric.” That ethos will guide an investment of €10 billion in e-mobility program, which includes charging infrastructure, battery development and ten new battery-electric models by the year 2025.

And as announced at CES last week, Mercedes-Benz will bring to market a product with NVIDIA technology inside, within the next 12 months. Stay tuned.

Volvo Cars

The Hain family take delivery of the first XC90 SUV scheduled for Volvo’s Drive Me program.

Autonomous vehicles have just gone from futuristic to family-centric. During the NAIAS press preview, Mr. Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Car Group invited the Hain family on stage to take delivery of the first XC90 SUV scheduled for Volvo’s Drive Me program.

One hundred XC90s SUVs will be deployed and leased to customers as part of the program, announced in 2016, to learn more about how humans like riding in autonomous vehicles. The brain piloting these vehicles: our DRIVE PX 2 AI supercomputer.