Auto shows reveal more than new cars
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Turntable after turntable at any given auto show is a spectacle of bright colors, crystal-flecked paint and prettily shaped metal. So, when an automaker chooses to reveal something other than its latest and greatest concept or production car, it’s notable.
At the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, Acura took a risk and revealed technology instead of sheet metal. Dubbed the “Acura Precision Cockpit,” the big reveal for Acura showcases the next-gen operating system that will be appearing in the automaker’s vehicles soon.
With a sleek and streamlined design, the center stack is clean and clutterless, focusing on the large center display that sits high atop the dash. Rather than a touch screen, Acura has opted for a touchpad with “absolute positioning.” The gist is if you touch the pad in the lower right hand corner, then that corresponds to the lower right hand corner of the screen. So you can control, swipe and tap the screen without actually touching it.
Other highlights of the Acura Precision Cockpit include:
- An Android-based operating system
- A 12.3-inch driver’s display behind the steering wheel
- An advanced-vision mode that leverages sensors to display cars, pedestrians and other objects that a driver might not see
Though Acura hasn’t said exactly when this new system will appear in a production vehicle, the general time frame is “a few years.” The design is reminiscent of what you see in the Acura NSX, so the assumption is that this system may only appear in the higher-end versions of the lineup, but Acura execs assured us this isn’t the case. This system in some format will make its way into all cars from the ILX all the way up to the NSX.
Ross Miller, senior engineer for Honda R&D Americas, takes us through a demonstration of the new operating system in the video below.
At a sit still, this system is visually appealing and seems easy to operate, so we can’t wait to see how it is implemented in an actual vehicle.
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