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Bosch builds an infotainment system that just might not suck

As far as we've come with in-car infotainment and interfaces over the past decade or so, we still have a long way to go — as most current systems show. Whether it's high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz with its kludgy COMAND system, which we hope will be replaced with the MBUX platform revealed at CES, or more mainstream vehicles like Hondas (with their frustrating, knobless Display Audio interface), getting the kind of content and ease of use in the car that we're used to having on other connected devices is far too complex and sometimes costly. While Apple and Google have tried to ride to the rescue with CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively, they're limited solutions. No automaker or tech supplier has been able to deliver an easy, economical, flexible and non-distracting infotainment solution. But Bosch could be closing in on this elusive goal, given the digital cockpit concept demo I recently received at CES. Displayed in a Cadillac Escalade, the concept featured five interconnected color screens: one in the instrument cluster, two in the center console, and two more in the front-seat headrest for second-row passengers. The digital cockpit concept demo had cool features such as haptic-feedback touch-screen controls that created an edge-like feeling similar to a physical button, facial recognition to confirm driver credentials, and the intelligence to know the location of a phone in the car to lock it out to keep the driver from texting. The most significant aspect of the Bosch digital cockpit concept wasn't visible — but shows the company's vision for a future of seamless, convenient, cost-effective and safe in-car infotainment. It's powered by a single electronic control unit (ECU) that can simultaneously run multiple operating systems and also separates vehicle and infotainment controls for critical safety and cybersecurity reasons. Most modern cars can have as many as 100 separate ECUs, Philip Ventimiglia, product manager for Bosch Car Multimedia North America, explained at CES, and several just for infotainment functions. "The goal is to reduce that to about 10 so that we can save cost throughout the vehicle and enable new technologies," he added. "OEMs want to put more technology into cars, but it costs money," Ventimiglia said.

Cadillac plans to keep its Manhattan ZIP code, shunning Detroit

Johan de Nysschen is credited for separating Cadillac from the GM nest in Detroit, but despite his ouster earlier this year, the luxury division says it will remain headquartered in New York City's tony SoHo district. "It's 100 percent that we're staying here, that was never a question," Cadillac spokesman Andrew Lipman told the Detroit Free Press. Cadillac in April announced that it was replacing de Nysschen, after four years running the flagship brand. The new brand boss, Steve Carlisle, previously was president and managing director of GM Canada. De Nysschen led a big push to separate the luxury brand from its parent company as a separate business unit, announcing the move to New York in 2014 as a way to gain more autonomy and better tap into the global luxury zeitgeist. The move was controversial at the time in some quarters, though Lipman told the Freep that GM brass made the decision to relocate Cadillac to the Big Apple months before de Nysschen arrived at the company. Cadillac now occupies the 15th and 16th floors of a high-rise building on Hudson Street in SoHo, where it has between 140 and 150 employees. It also operates a ground-floor retail space called the Cadillac House where it displays cars, operates a coffee shop and stages events, including with fashion designers. Its vehicles are still designed and engineered back in the Detroit area, however. "The amount of time people spend at Cadillac House has been increasing, and it's become a destination," Lipman said. Cadillac used this year's New York Auto Show to reveal its new 2019 XT4 compact crossover, its second offering in the all-important luxury crossover segment after the XT5. It goes on sale this fall. Related Video: Image Credit: Cadillac Marketing/Advertising Cadillac GM Crossover Luxury cadillac xt4

2013 Cadillac ATS Premium 2.0T 6MT

The new Cadillac ATS is an impressive sport sedan, often considered one of the most serious threats to the BMW 3 Series. Unlike GM's previous attempts, this four door brings aggressive styling, commendable chassis dynamics and class-leading handling to the highly competitive battle. And, like its daunting German foe, Cadillac offer several powertrain choices.
I recently spent time with the ATS 2.0T Premium on my home California turf. Fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with a limited-slip rear differential, my tester was lightly optioned, with only a paint upgrade and a cold weather package. That brought the as-tested price to $46,305, configured the way I imagine most enthusiasts would prefer. This meant I fully expected to enjoy a week with a tossable sport sedan that boasted "fun-to-drive" as its middle name, but all was not well...
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