Truly Smart Cars are Still a Thing of the Future

When you listen to "Marketplace" in your car, your car might be listening back.

Over the past few years, cars have started turning into rolling data centers, loaded with sensors and databases full of insights about us, their human operators. Clever cars make life more convenient and open up new opportunities for businesses, but there's also a downside: Security holes could allow nefarious parties to rummage around in your car's brain or even hijack the wheel.

Imagine, in a few years, you're driving your brand-new Ford Mustang up a winding mountain road. Whenever it's time to shift gears, the car prompts you with a little buzz from the gearshift knob. The car can predict the optimal moment to shift because it's been watching how you accelerate and throttle, and it's built a profile of your personal driving style. By the end of the decade, our cars could be offering us all kinds of helpful personalized advice.

For example, software giant SAP is working on a navigation system aimed at helping you organize your errands.

Continue reading the original article on smart cars in Marketplace >>

Original source: Marketplace