Saad Naveed
Mentor Graphics

Exciting times these are! The automotive technology industry is seeing a whole new trend taking shape. Car technology is just in its infancy and already there are many interesting concepts being rolled out from major car manufacturers all over the world. There have been early successes and minor setbacks in this highly competitive industry. This paper will attempt to outline some of the advances that have been made recently, and based upon past trends, will predict the direction this industry is going. In the mind of the author, this direction holds enormous potential for new applications of embedded technology, can bring a wave of new trends and mega-trends in the automobile industry, accounts for many years of sustained fruitful business for car manufacturers and increases value and functionality. It also decreases costs with every coming year for the person who matters the most: the car buyer.

Tokyo, Detroit and Munich, the race is on!