In the past, when we were a very young 
company, we provided components, we 
expected our customers
to take these components, go off, and build 
their systems. What we noticed and what we
discovered is these companies trip over the 
same problems over and over and over.
That led us to create the QNX CAR Platform. 
We would give the customer a platform that
they could personalize and make, you know, 
their own, and try to get the OEM to market 
years sooner.
The concept vehicles are to show, from one 
year to the next, how different the system
can look, how much the personality can be 
completely different from the previous car,
but that the underlying platform is the same 
and that we're able to turn these cars around
in a couple of months and show some pretty 
amazing features.
The Maserati project is really our exploration 
of what a modern integrated cockpit could
look like. The integrated cockpit is all the 
different pieces of technology in the vehicle 
and how they interact together to create a 
positive driver experience. What tools does
the technology enable which allow the drivers 
to drive safer, drive easier, and drive with
less effort? You really need all these discrete 
systems able to speak with each other in a
common language, and this is where QNX 
comes in.
The QNX CAR Platform played a very 
significant role. It really allows us to start with 
a
base platform where all the core features are 
already there and working - phone, Bluetooth,
navigation, multimedia, as well as all the 
reliability and performance - and then we
can basically concentrate on building up a 
new custom HMI, looking at the user 
experience
and the look and feel, as well as building on 
new features such as some of the ADAS 
features
that we're trying to show in this new concept. 
In the Maserati, we have a number of novel
advanced driver assist systems. We've 
replaced all of the mirrors in the car with 
digital
screens. The problem with mirrors is they are 
a slave to physics. They can only reflect
what is directly in front of them. With a 
camera, you can place it in the ideal location,
giving the driver all the information they need 
without having to worry about things
like blind spots.
The light bar we've integrated into the 
Maserati is a very interesting ADAS output 
system.
We've installed a strip of LEDs right at the 
base of the windshield which actually are
seen from the driver as a reflection. This 
allows them to see through the light but 
allows
our systems to highlight different objects in 
front of the driver.
Our heritage is actually safety systems. We 
have the safety certifications so we have
the pedigree to be there, and this year, we're 
trying to tie in more of the ADAS functionality.
To realize this project, we've used the building 
blocks provided by Qualcomm SnapDragon 
Automotive
Development Platform.
And the development of all the key features 
required for a silicon platform have all been
hardened and integrated, and performance 
tuned, so that really we've got a fantastic 
platform
to then build on top off.
From the infotainment, to the cluster, to the 
rear-view display. We show camera views
around the vehicle, as well as integrating 
sensor from LIDAR proximity sensors, and 
even
providing some augmented reality-type 
technology.
The benefits of QNX OS running on 
SnapDragon go beyond having a best-in-
class hardware
and software solution. There has been a lot
of work done to make sure that these two 
systems
work together flawlessly in a pre-integrated 
manner, which reduces the engineering time
and increases the overall power you can get 
from your end-to-end system.
So really, we're working with all key 
technology partners in the area, have them 
pre-integrated
onto our platforms, and working 
synergistically, allowing us to move away from 
these individual
discrete systems into these higher level,
more integrated systems that will ultimately
provide more unified experience for the end 
user.
Projects like these just reaffirm the need for 
these ecosystems. If we can develop the
Maserati in a matter of months, just imagine 
what our customers can do.
