Beth Schwarting, Delphi's electronics and safety general director of sales and marketing, was up on the podium accepting the Honda Delivery Award on behalf of the company in 2004. The Delphi Corp. team was honored for its performance in supplying and delivering immobilizers, antennas and telematics to Honda facilities in four cities and two countries. To win this award, suppliers have to achieve perfect delivery and maintain high quality index rankings in the Honda system. The automaker requires suppliers to eliminate errors and wasted effort, including miscounts, label errors, untimely deliveries and mixed parts. All of these functions focus on effective planning, preparation, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of processes.
What are some of the most significant electronic auto safety developments in recent years?
Technology advances have dramatically improved driving safety by optimizing the performance of restraint systems to more recent developments in accident prevention products. Examples include new occupant and crash sensors used to optimize airbag deployments, stability control systems that extend the driver's control over a wider range of conditions and external sensors that can help mitigate accidents. These external sensing systems utilize technologies such as radar, lidar (laser ranging) and vision to provide a warning to drivers of impending accidents to give the driver more time to take evasive action. These external sensing systems that include Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control can also be designed to automatically work with the car's braking and/or steering systems to help avoid the accident.
Do you expect consumer interest in safety technology to be consistent selling points going forward?
Yes, consumer awareness of safety systems and the systems benefits are ever increasing and will continue to fuel consumer demand for safety. Also, we expect that the recent proposed enhancements to NHTSA's star rating system will help bring a sharper focus on the new collision avoidance systems that are becoming available on cars.
In the past, automakers had resisted certain safety measures, essentially saying safety doesn't sell. Assuming you agree with this premise, when did the situation start to change with OEMs seeing the value of marketing safety innovations?
Consumers have always desired safety. A combination of increased consumer awareness of new safety features and benefits, vehicle manufactures promoting safety, NHTSA's star rating system and affordability of safety features have led them to now strongly demand that these safety features be included on their vehicles.
Did this shift come from the ground up, where consumers started desiring these technologies? Or were these OEM offerings that the public finally began to embrace? What drove this?
Automakers recognize that safety features help sell cars. Take a look at the amount of safety content included and touted in new car advertising campaigns today. However, the demand for safety is a combination of manufacturers desire to sell vehicles; consumers desire for safer vehicles; and high-volume manufacturers like Delphi providing affordable, enhanced safety technologies.
How much of today's safety technology began with military applications that were applied to civilian vehicles?
A fair amount of the new active safety technologies find their roots in the military environment. For instance, vision based systems such as Nightvision, and ranging systems are based on radar or lidar (Laser-based range findings). Similar systems are used for identifying threatening obstacles in military applications.
Can you comment a bit about the combining of safety and convenience products, and can we expect more cross-applications of this type?
As a matter of fact, we were one of the original principals in developing GM's OnStar system. Delphi is unique in that we have extensive expertise in developing both safety and entertainment and communications systems. We are also experts in integrating all of these systems into vehicle architectures. Yes, there will definitely be more cross applications coming. An effective way to enhance consumer value is to provide as much functionality as possible from every system installed in the vehicle. Combining certain safety features with convenience functions provides added benefits to the complete system. Other examples of combining convenience and safety include systems like adaptive cruise control which is a convenience system that uses the same radar used for the collision warning safety system. Another is the headlight high beam control system using the same camera required by the lane departure system and for pedestrian detection. Tier one suppliers like Delphi and OEMs are all working diligently to increase the value of each system.
How close are we to seeing mobile radar-type collision avoidance systems becoming commonplace on American cars?
Delphi is supplying collision avoidance systems in vehicles today. With the government's emphasis on highlighting active safety features through new star ratings, and new developments reducing the cost of these systems, we believe high volume market penetration is right around the corner. As the technology matures, we believe prices will come down and help drive greater market penetration.
What are some of the key OEM-based driver-aids and other safety technologies that you see automakers applying at the factory within the next few years?
Product innovation that helps drivers avoid accidents will be a significant portion of the new technologies coming down the road. These active safety features will be enabled by the continued improvements to active safety technologies such as radar, lidar (Laser-based range findings), and vision systems. These improvements will not only increase the usability of current systems such as Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning but will also allow for extended-range night vision, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring systems, and parking assistance systems.
Do you see aftermarket opportunities stemming from safety related add-ons, or does most of the equipment have to be programmed into the vehicle at the factory?
To get ultimate performance, these active safety systems need to be highly integrated with vehicle systems. There are and will be aftermarket opportunities for specific devices with varying performance capabilities. There is a huge opportunity for the aftermarket in vehicle electronics, including highly sophisticated systems and components that are making vehicles safer.
There's been attention in the media directed at collision avoidance technologies that are imbedded in roadways and the like. Do you see this as a viable infrastructural innovation? When do you anticipate implementation of these designs?
Technology exists today that will enable many infrastructure based safety features. Implementation timing is difficult to predict as there are many variables including technology cost, municipal policy, and governmental regulations.