DETROIT HALL LOSES POWER FOR INNOVATIONS AND … – Autoesporte

 

 “I did a little dance when I saw that Mary Barra [chief executive of General Motors] was on the cover of Wired “. That was the answer that Alan Batey, president of GM in the United States, gave Autoesporte when asked if he thought Detroit was losing ground to the CES, the largest fair in the world of technology, which takes place one week before the hall. The president and the Bolt , compact electric new GM, appeared on the cover of February one of the leading magazines of world technology, something (supposedly) unexpected for the automaker. In other words, the focus of interest in the car is actually changing even for one of the most traditional companies in the industry. Car is technology.

 

 A huge bet, Bolt was presented at the CES. GM did not expect the Detroit Auto Show to launch its electric of $ 30,000. Something symbolic, since it is the most traditional automotive shows in the country, held in the city where the company is headquartered. The manufacturer also took all the lights were turned to Las Vegas, where the event took place, and released the first images and specs of the Cruze hatch, which arrived in Brazil in 2017.

 
 

 “I remember when I bought my first car, I wanted freedom. Without a car, I would not have freedom. Today, everyone has one of those [showed his iPhone]. Now people can go anywhere, like India. They have mobility, right here. So they want and require connectivity in cars, “Batey said.

 

 In Detroit, it was easy to find those who agree with the opinion of the CEO. Customers are actually more demanding when it comes to technology and such an important trade show just eclipsing the world’s first auto show. “There were 170,000 people for CES last week. When 170,000 people come together, we need to do something, “said Jon Lauckner, head of GM technology in an interview with Autoesporte .

 
 

 The result was the lack of major releases in Detroit. In contrast to the exciting innovations from CES, Detroit was also in should really futuristic concepts and fun cars. The most conservative salon of the year was, say, discouraged. But not so discouraged about the presentation of Volkswagen, who apologized numerous times by emissions scandal. “We know deeply disapointed our consumers, government agencies and the general public in America,” said the automaker’s global CEO, Matthias Müller.

 

 If the subject is Brazilian market, the animation was even for the stand of Mercedes and Volvo, which stood out for launching cars with a lot of embedded technology, the case of the New Mercedes E-Class, which arrives in Brazil in August 2016 and Volvo S90, a luxury sedan with semi-autonomous functions that also appears, that at the beginning of 2017.