2001 Cadillacs to offer in-car PCs2001 Cadillacs to offer in-car PCs

Colorado Springs -Cadillac announced that it will bring the Information Age to the automobile this fall, as it becomes the first production carmaker to incorporate PCs in its new models.

The PCs, known by Cadillac as "Infotainment" systems, will enable drivers to use voice commands to send and receive e-mail, access the radio, listen to CDs, make cell phone calls, and get directions from the navigation system. It will be available as an option for approximately $2,000 on the 2001 Seville and DeVille.

Automakers have been talking about incorporating in-car PCs since the 1998 SAE Congress, when several suppliers-most notably Delphi Automotive, Ford Visteon, and Clarion-rolled out prototypes. Clarion's unit, however, was an aftermarket device and Ford has yet to announce intentions of incorporating a PC into a production vehicle. Thus Delphi is the first in bringing its PC to a production car.

General Motors engineers worked directly with Delphi to integrate the Infotainment system into the Seville and DeVille. The effort, which took place over a 19-month period, involved as many as 60 engineers at once. The engineering team included members from Cadillac, Delphi, Microsoft, and e-GM, a General Motors division dedicated to promoting e-business. The project focused on three major areas: development of user interfaces; printed circuit boards; and voice recognition to go with the Windows CE operating system.

GM executives believe that e-mail access will be the key to the Infotainment system's success. Using voice commands, drivers will be able to access e-mail. They can also listen to their e-mail messages by employing text-to-speech technology and dictate messages through speech-to-text.

"Over three-quarters of Seville STS drivers access e-mail on a daily basis," says Karenann Terrell, director of e-vehicle product management for e-GM. "And e-mail is the key application where consumers will find value in this."