SBD Automotive’s Event Research Team has just returned from the preview days of the IAA Frankfurt Auto Show. We are now compiling the data, insights and analysis from the show for our Event Series subscribers, but in the meantime, one thing is clear -
Electric vehicles and innovative infotainment dominate the show
While Volkswagen has offered electric vehicles already (the e-Up! and the e-Golf), this is the brand’s first vehicle designed from the ground up to be electric. The ID.3 is a symbol of the new Volkswagen - literally - the car now features VW's new logo.
The clean, modern styling continues to the interior. The 10-inch central touch display is mounted high to appear like it is floating, and reacts quickly to user input. While this may look small compared to others at IAA, Volkswagen has given the ID.3 a large heads-up display and a smart interior lighting system that can respond to status changes. The ‘First Edition’ will feature the middle battery capacity of 58kWh, with a range of up to 260 miles. The small battery will be 45kWh with a range of up to 205 miles, while the larger battery of 77kWh will offer a range of up to 340 miles.
The Taycan, Porsche’s first production ready all-electric vehicle, is a sleek four-door model built on the company’s new bespoke platform, known as J1. With the Taycan, Porsche clearly has its eyes on a certain Californian company.
The interior has a strong focus on touchscreen controls and can be configured with up to four displays – including a 16.8 inch curved instrument screen and an optional entertainment screen for the passenger. The Virtual Personal Assistant activates when the user says 'Hey Porsche' (is that two syllables or three)? All vehicle configurations for the Taycan, such as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), can be set up on the central screen via direct access. The driver can quickly access all apps via a clearly structured and customisable home screen. Apps include navigation, telephone, media, comfort and Porsche Connect.
The M-Byte has changed surprisingly little since the SBD Event Team saw the concept vehicle at CES in 2018, with the production model having kept its giant 48-inch central screen. This display is divided (digitally) into thirds, with the driver’s side offering the digital instrument cluster, the middle showing the mapping, and the passenger side offering entertainment. The driver controls the display with an 8-inch touchscreen on the steering wheel. This is definitely a vehicle our UX team is interested in testing in-depth when the production model is released (currently believed to be the middle of 2020).
Two years after the concept dominated headlines at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, Honda is back with the production ready Honda e. The retro-inspired EV will be linked closely with the MyHonda+ app, which will give users access to remote climate control, security and location monitoring. The app also houses the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) digital key, based on the CoSmA system (Continental Smart Access), to lock/unlock the vehicle and features a geofencing mode to alert you if the car leaves a predetermined area. Vehicle owners will receive a number of virtual keys simultaneously and will thus be able to share their vehicle for example with family and friends conveniently by just sending the virtual key to other drivers. CoSmA holds the backend key management on the Continental cloud, where keys are created and securely processed. CoSmA works with Android and Apple smartphones and is not limited to the hardware or the vendor of the smartphone. Our anti-theft team is interested in testing this when it becomes available, as the similar system on the Tesla Model 3 showed a number of vulnerabilities.