The electronics department at Audi is led by Ricky Hudi and if you get to know some of the things they have been planning, it will definitely surprise you to the core.

Gone are the days when the technology department of a car manufacturer focused on high profile audio system, navigation setup and a rearview mirror that could automatically adjust its position to help you find your path. The new era of technology is just mind blowing and the upcoming virtual cockpit for the Audi A3 is a good example.

Every information that the driver needs to know will be available in this virtual cockpit. The word cockpit truly justifies the claim because it provides information on the distance traveled, speed, direction, tank capacity and even assists in knowing the opponent car’s driving speed. The cockpit also acts as a safety measure because it sends alerts right to the dashboard making it easy for you to avoid an obstacle or dodge oncoming traffic in case one of the drivers on the road has gone rash or lost control of his vehicle.

The biggest challenge that threatens car technology is hacking issues. Being fully digitized vehicles, these new age cars from Audi and other manufacturers are prone to hacks if someone were to exploit a bug within. However, Hudi promises that the upcoming A8 will be virtually hack free and will also sport a powerful computer within which delivers up to 1 teraflop of power. The vehicle is scheduled for a 2017 launch.

Commenting about the change in the world, Ricky Hudi opines that his team is under more pressure than ever, because of people’s affability towards gadgets. The company has doubled the investment in car technology so as to appease their customers. The new Audi A8 will feature a full touchscreen interface with a dedicated operating system which will make it easier for users to utilize its computing power. It will also feature a 3D camera.

The camera is capable of taking pictures of the road to send direction and information on possible obstacles. It can warn the driver in case of an impending collision, can read traffic signs to notify you of a nearby restaurant and has the new Mobile Eye technology uses the super computing power to its core. With everything in place, Audi is set for some grand launches in the coming years, but they are most likely to face tough competition in the world of car tech.