Quite a lot of tech innovation coming from Germany.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/auto-new...nic-technology

 

So this is the 3rd source now stating a huge NAV screen. Sad to loose the quads but once the headlights are aggressive like the IS I won't mind.

 

Interesting, very interesting. Trying to picture what the grille would look like in my mind.

This is my interpretation of what I think it could look like (only focusing on the grille):

Audi grille:



IS F grille:



8 rough interpretations of what 4GS grille could possibly look like IMO:

Interpretation 1:


Interpretation 2:


Interpretation 3:


Interpretation 4:


Interpretation 5:


Interpretation 6:


Interpretation 7:



Interpretation 8:



Quite a lot of tech also being developed by Toyota for Lexus over in Japan, they are just keeping it under wraps.

 

Pretty good imagination

 

Interesting. This must be a first. The only time Toyota surprised me with some tech was the automatic parallel parking feature.

I suppose the hybrid tech was a great innovation too, but I don't like hybrids so that wasn't so exciting for me.

 

Of all the impressive German technologies under development, these are the one's I hope Lexus copies:
1) touch pad for text entry (BMW, Audi)
2) Gesture based touchless screen control to deliver on the remote touch promise (replacing the mouse interpretation) (Mercedes)
3) Magic body control to adjust to road surface changes in advance (Mercedes)
4) Lateral collision avoidance (BMW)

 

This is something I have thought about...all tech is moving to touch screen, and yet cars are moving towards user interface hardware. Seems backwards to me, and I really enjoy the simplicity of touchscreen. iDrive, MMI, COMAND and Remote Touch just seem like an extra, unnecessary step.

 

Not so fast ! There have been plenty of last minute changes to cars before production and if the GS is supposed to debut early next year as a 2013, that gives them plenty of time to make changes. Think about how much the LFA changed right up to production, even though that is a totally different beast.

As an example, the new 7th gen Camry was a "done deal" until they started showing it to dealers who threw a fit about the exterior looking too conservative and similar to the current model. They're now working on tweaks and redesigning elements of the exterior.

 

Yes if you check out the article I posted earlier, there are a couple of innovations which I think indicate the future.

Mercedes-Benz: Human-Machine Interface Cam Touchpad. Mercedes has come up with a clever solution that eliminates any unsightly smudges a grubby digit might leave on a vehicle’s infotainment screen. Using a centrally mounted touchpad corresponding to the screen and infrared-camera technology, Mercedes is able to provide a ghosted image of your hand operating as if it were in direct contact with the screen. The touchpad allows the driver to scroll, push, turn and zoom, which yields intuitive operation of nearly all interior accessories (i.e., audio, navigation, climate controls). Aside from the smudge-free factor, the touchpad keeps the driver’s vision closer to the road and your transparent hand is never a visual obstruction.

BMW: Touchpad iDrive. If you’ve driven (or own) a new Audi A8, you may be familiar with the MMI Touch feature; a touchpad interface to input alpha-numerics into the navigation system without needing to remove your eyes from the road. True, BMW may be a small step behind in the production race, but in terms of execution, its system is slicker as it comes cleverly integrated on top of the iDrive ****. This makes BMW’s transition to this technology basically seamless, with the added benefit of no extra clutter on the center console.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with Apple. People love touching things and tablets are set to explode. We have seen how touch screen phones are the standard now.

Either is fine to me, touch screen or remote touch.

I think the Tesla has a 17" all touch face screen.




Another thought is it might be cheaper for a brand to produce a large touch screen than a **** type system.

The GErmans are innovative but they have a history of not really thinking it out and making the consumer be the guinea pig. Then its hardly proven to be reliable. I find it ironic the German brands that are supposed to be "drivers cars" are heavier and bigger than ever and put everything in the car to DISTRACT the driver lol

 

pretty much, tech and stuff are good on paper, but when it gets to customers hands, little issues here and there. i don't know if that's good or bad

 

I think a lot of this is driven by the cars getting bigger. The upcoming F30 3 series is the about the same length as the E39 BMW 5 series, but a little lighter. The F10 is like an older 7 series in terms of size and room.

The latest Audi A6 is 130lb lighter than the previous model which was light to start with, but it is also bigger which an accomplishment.

Lexus has to make the GS bigger too. I drive with the drivers seat full back, and there isn't much room for whoever sits behind me.

 

TELSA basically has a tablet right there in the cockpit. Cool concept.

 

Thanks. I personally prefer something like Interpretation 8. It would look eye-catching and stand out without being cheap or gaudy. It could still be done in an elegant way.

To each their own I guess.



Again, it's subjective, but you are impressed by some seemingly ordinary things, meanwhile some great innovations from Lexus seemingly do not impress you .

Also as stated already, neither you nor I know what Toyota is working on. Just because they don't talk about it doesn't mean there isn't anything in the works.

The current LS when it debuted had a number of innovations, like the infrared camera that monitors the driver and if the driver stops paying attention to the road, alerts the driver and prepares the car for impact. It also introduced the rear pre-cash safety system. The LFA has the world's first driver and front passenger inflatable airbag seatbelts.

These are just a few things.

Some automakers though while moving to non-touch controls for their systems are also introducing advanced voice systems. I do agree with you for the most part, but having non-touch systems does bring a few advantages, such as being able to recess a screen in the dash for less glare, and also improves screen durability as you're not constantly touching it.

Minor last-minute changes to cars, perhaps. Major last-minute changes to cars such as styling changes? Impossible.

The LFA changed around 2006 from aluminum to a carbon fiber chassis. I am willing to bet though that LFA interior and exterior styling was finalized already in 2006-2007. Why do you think the production LFA looks a lot like the 1st LFA concept? The production interior also looks almost exactly like the LFA I concept.

Can you name specific cars where we know for a fact major last-minute changes occured?

Also with the 7th-gen Camry, with all due respect, it is impossible for Toyota to make last-minute styling changes when the car is only months away from debuting.

Think for a minute just how much work is required for styling changes. Toyota first has to tell suppliers about the change. Then, suppliers need to make and design the part, make blueprints, make prototypes and test the part, make new molds for the part. If it's a styling change that requires exterior body changes, even more complex. Toyota has to make new body blueprints, notify related suppliers of the change, make NEW stamping press molds for the body panels, then test the new parts before even going into production. All of this takes lots of time *and* money. These kinds of changes take years, not months. I also probably skipped a few steps in there as well.

Even minor styling changes would be equivalent to a mid-model cycle change, and THOSE happen after 2-3 years that the vehicle is first introduced.

The 7th-gen Camry thing AFAIK is a big rumor, and like I said above, impossible for such changes to be made last minute. The word from the national dealer meeting was that the new Camry looks great and stylish. We heard negative reaction apparently from a dealer meeting this month according to SICK, but we don't know if that was just a small regional meeting or not. Let's wait for the production car to debut before jumping to conclusions.

Toyota's Jim Lentz just confirmed a few days ago that the new Camry is "more stylish" and he said it will be the first new Toyota vehicle to show how future Toyotas will get more emotive styling, which is something Akio Toyoda has been pushing.

Same thing was endlessly talked about with the current Corolla, that it was "delayed" a year in the US for styling changes, which is ridiculous. It would have been impossible for Toyota to make styling changes under such a short time span without having major quality issues.

 

Inside Line commented that recent Toyota products no longer have class leading interiors. Plastics are the old hard type as opposed to the premium soft touch ones, the leather seems a cheaper grade than what you would find in a Ford.

My sense is that this is a will issue. Toyota doesn't want to offer more than competitors, but would rather offer less, have fat margins, and compete on reliability rather than content.