Nissan at CES: The Future of Mobility is Coming to Consumers Sooner Than You Think
Not since the horse and carriage became the horse-less carriage, has there been a more exciting and important time for the auto industry. As our CEO likes to say, we will see more change in the next 10 year than we’ve seen in the last 50.
I am here at CES right now. And as I walk the floor, there is an excitement in the air about what all of this change will mean for the future of mobility. But people are rightly asking whether these a re just technological curiosities for a distant future. In other words, when will consumers start to experience them in their daily lives? At Nissan, our answer is much sooner than you think.
Autonomous drive technologies can already be found in our vehicles today. For example the Nissan Serena in Japan features our ProPILOT autonomous drive technology designed for highway use in single-lane traffic. We are also rolling out this technology in Europe, Japan, China and the United States, with 10 models to be launched by 2020 through the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
We have a clear roadmap for customers to achieve a zero-emission, zero-fatality future on the roads. It has three pillars.
The first pillar is Nissan Intelligent Integration, which will make driving more connected to our wider society. A great example is the partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft to bring the next generation of connected vehicle technologies to consumers. We just demonstrated one possibility — Microsoft’s personal assistant software Cortana. It has the potential to transform the way customers engage with their vehicles to open up a range of personal services.
The next pillar is Nissan Intelligent Driving, which will give our customers more confidence through increased safety, control, and comfort for everyone on board. This includes are work to bring autonomous vehicles to our roads in the coming years, but in a way that is safe and seamless. And a great example of that is our demonstration here at CES of Seamless Autonomous Mobility (SAM) developed from NASA technology.
The final pillar is Nissan Intelligent Power, which makes driving more exciting for our customers while also making it cleaner and more efficient. Nissan is committed to a holistic approach toward zero emissions. We are making internal combustion engines more efficient in the short term while staying focused on zero-emissions for the long term. Our Nissan LEAF is the best-selling EV in the world, with 250,000 sold since 2010. Here at CES, we just announced that a new LEAF with pro-PILOT technology will be coming in the near future.
With Nissan Intelligent Mobility, people, cars and society will soon become true partners to achieve the ultimate goal of creating a zero emission, zero fatality future. And ultimately, it will move people to a better world.
Daniele Schillaci is Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, Nissan Motor Corporation
