Seismic changes are coming to the auto industry in the form of self-driving vehicles, and carmakers are trying to get on board.
Waymo – Google's self-driving car project – is showcasing a new autonomous minivan developed with Fiat Chrysler on the first day of the press preview at the North American International Auto Show. A demonstration on Sunday, Jan. 8, showed how the Windsor-built Chrysler Pacifica is using Waymo technology to detect other driver-less cars.
Waymo CEO John Krafcik told the audience of media members and industry insiders that the self-driving Pacifica will be on the road later this month in Arizona and California. He says the company doesn't want to build better vehicles, it wants to build better drivers. Waymo reports that its self-driving vehicles have racked up 2.5 million miles on roads, and tested technology on 1 billion virtual miles.
Waymo is just one of more than 40 new vehicles debuting at the show. New versions of some best-sellers include the Toyota Camry sedan, the Honda Odyssey minivan, and the GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs.
Nissan will show a smaller version of its Rogue SUV, while Volkswagen will have a stretched version of its Tiguan. Even Chinese automaker GAC Group, which doesn't yet sell vehicles in the U.S., will be showing off an SUV.
For the first time, a convention dedicated to mobility is running during the auto show press days. Dubbed Automobili-D, the event features booths from more than 100 tech startups, auto suppliers and carmakers with innovations like car seats that can sense when you're drowsy and software that can navigate the car in stop-and-go traffic.
In addition to the 40 debuts, automakers are showing another 750 vehicles at the show held in the Cobo Center in Detroit. The public show runs from Jan. 14 to Jan. 22.
