Smartphones to Drive Future Cars

Hold on to that steering. Cars of the future are set to get rid of traditional controls like buttons and switches and have a touchscreen smartphone for your driving comfort and overall safety.

Back-seat passengers will have the touchscreen to control automotive accessories such as air-conditioning, infotainment and navigation.

This will not distract drivers, media reports said.

Towards this, luxury car maker Bentley has come up with a slick remote control which whirrs up from the rear of the centre console.

The device, the size of a cigarette packet, is fitted with a touch-screen.

It manages audio-visual equipments like twin TV screens, a navigation system, a stereo and even a fridge.

The remote also allows passengers to configure the seats and adjust interior temperature.

This kind of control will soon pass on to cheaper cars, reports added.

For example, the new Volkswagen Passat will have an app that owners can download on a tablet.

Using the car's Wi-Fi, the tablet will let passengers surf the internet as well as interact with the infotainment system.

Audi has gone a step further.

It has come up with an Audi-brand tablet: a 10.2-inch display introduced as a remote control for a range of vehicle functions.

The tablet gives occupants access to the Web, media and navigation systems as well as control over the radio, reports added.