The intelligent automobile has been promised and prototyped for several decades. Like many smart product concepts, mass-market adoption of smarter automobiles often seems to be stalled just down the road. Take a closer look at the vehicles coming off the production line, however, and it becomes clear that automobiles already demonstrate many smart product characteristics. Embedded systems monitor engine performance, and manage braking and vehicle stability. Features such as cruise control, automatic variable transmission, and power steering are designed to operate cars more safely and efficiently without requiring specific driver instructions. Even tire pressure sensors rely on microcontrollers that communicate with the on-board vehicle network to warn drivers about tire problems. Advanced vehicle safety systems respond to complex inputs in real time and control critical driving maneuvers. This track record of incremental increases in embedded vehicle intelligence provides a solid foundation for the current worldwide push to develop and produce even smarter automobiles.

A review of automobile accident statistics around the world provides a sobering argument that human drivers need more help from their cars in avoiding accidents and keeping the roads safe. According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), about six million vehicle crashes take place on American roadways annually. Drivers and passengers pay a steep price: approximately 42,000 fatalities and over three million serious injuries from vehicle accidents every year in the USA.