Audi promises to entertain us

Audi will reveal its new in-car "amusement park" at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, and it promises to eliminate boredom when self-driving systems take over.

These technologies already exist but widespread legislation to allow their use does not, so the jury is still out on when fully-autonomous self-driving cars will become a reality – it's between five and 30 years away depending on who you ask.

However, Audi is already making a bold play to keep us amused in driverless car by offering a host of new multimedia features including streaming movies before they eventuate.

The German luxury brand’s pitch for the hearts and minds of next-generation motorists will comprise a multi-stage assault on the pleasure receptors of vehicle occupants, likely including a wide array of fun time-wasting options like video games, social media and TV streaming.

It's not clear whether Audi's new entertainment system will be based in a conventional car cabin like the Audi e-tron, or a 'lounge room' interior. The latter allows front occupants to spin their chairs to turn their back on traffic and enjoy a little face-to-face conversation or perhaps a game of connect four.

Audi will also show off what it calls the ‘Audi Immersive In-Car Entertainment’, a concept that appears much closer to production, in which streaming movies can be watched but only while the car is stationary – due to current legal requirements.

As traditional motor shows continue to wane in popularity – Australian motor shows kicked the bucket in 2012 – events like CES continue to provide a new avenue for car brands to show off their (increasingly high-tech) products and services.

Audi has been exhibiting at CES in Las Vegas since 2011 and with a dedicated automotive area within the massive exhibition, expect to see several other global premieres.

In 2019 there will be around 4000 exhibitors at CES, from car brands such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz to drone-makers like DJI and videogame developers.

The automobile is undergoing a paradigm shift as EV technology continues to develop and AI systems begin to guide autonomous vehicles of the future.

Car-makers are now investing billions of dollars in technologies to ensure that what and how we drive in the near future will be vastly different to the cars of today.