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Nissan NSC-2015

Nissan recently showcased its "auto-parking" car - the NSC-2015. This modified Leaf, with the help of electronic sensors, cameras, robotics and smartphone enabled commands, can drive and park "itself" after the driver has left the car.

Although nothing groundbreaking (others have been developing driverless prototypes too, for example Google driverless car, Volvo) the NSC-2015 yet again demonstrates that we are very close to having, not "driverless," but at least remotely controlled vehicles in, may be, 5 years from now. The car uses remote monitoring system that recognizes the surrounding environment through use of an all-around view camera and 4th generation (4G) mobile communications. After the driver leaves the car, it starts to park itself automatically , following the instructions given by smartphone. The vehicle looks for a vacant parking space while identifying its surroundings; once it detects an open parking space automated parking begins. The driver can also use smartphone commands to make the NSC-2015 vehicle leave the parking space and return to the place where he or she is. While parked, the car's security camera system automatically works with a camera installed in the vehicle. If the system detects suspicious behavior, the driver is alerted automatically by a report to his or her smartphone.

Imagine how convenient it would be to stand by the curb and parallel park you car in a tight spot using your smartphone, or instructing your phone to park the car in your garage everynight at 11 PM....

First voice in correcting the Indian aftermarket?

I just came across an article in the Economic Times about Mr. Jagdish Khattar, ex-MD for Maruti Suzuki, expressing his opinions about the anticompetitive practices prevalent in the Indian automotive aftermarket.

A short background — in India it is very expensive to buy automotive spare parts, because OEMs and dealers run a monopoly business in which OEM-approved spares are only available through dealers at a price premium and not freely available in the open market.

Hopefully, the voice raised by Mr. Khattar will have an impact and open up the Indian aftersales market, or at least start a drive at doing away with unhealthy trade practices. It is time that such anticompetitive practices are done away with because it is not only about the price premium, but also the unhealthy practices such as refusal of service / sharing of technology that need to go for the market to become a truly global competitive market.

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