Last Tuesday, just a week and change before Christmas, QNX and Alcatel-Lucent hosted the launch of the LTE connected car for the automotive audience. Whereas Alcatel-Lucent spearheaded the NYC event due to their connections with the carriers, QNX was the prime for this event because of our close connections with the auto industry. Which explains why we had the event in Detroit. Despite premature reports of Detroit's death, and having the international infamy of a town being on life-support, the Motor City still is the center of the world when it comes to cars. There couldn't have been more interest or excitement by those in attendance; we had a full day booked with press, automakers, industry analysts, automotive tier one suppliers, and automotive partners, most getting their first hands-on experience with the LTE connected car. People who are all working towards designs that will blow away customers in a scant couple years.
Was it as "funky" as New York? Nope. Instead of a chic retrofitted carriage house in Hells Kitchen, we held it in the rather conventional, but very well appointed, Rock Financial Showcase in Novi, which they had outfitted for the season with some beautifully ornamented Christmas trees. This was generally a crowd with a more a roll-your-sleeves up approach, so I don't think the slightly more pedestrian surroundings were even noticed.
LTE Connected car, right before the show opened...
But what
was noticed was the car. Again, the star of the show, there was hardly a time when all four seats weren't filled with wide-eyed engineers, managers, and execs. Everybody was getting a glimpse of a stocking stuffer that will be available within a year or two. It was like Christmas came a little early to Detroit! Now if only Santa can be nice to everyone this year and deliver some car buyers...
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