To say that I’m a car nut is an understatement. That’s why when the folks at QNX offered to walk me through an exclusive demo of their new technology concept car, I jumped at the chance. The connected car has always been a hit at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) for QNX; just last year they outfitted an award-winning Porsche. But this year they have truly outdone themselves with a connected Bentley Continental GT featuring a custom dashboard and 17inch curved DLP screen. Words can’t do it justice – so check out this video below:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

That is truly impressive. Here’s a quick recap of the technology behind the car which, by the way, shares its heritage with BlackBerry 10:

• First in-car touchscreen digital light processor (DLP) that blends advanced graphics and physical controls
• Reconfigurable digital instrument cluster that can be changed on-the-fly
• Quality audio experience with Ultra HD Voice and AT&T Watson and realistic stereo telepresence
• Real-time interactivity with car via smartphone
• LTE connectivity as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot for devices brought into the car

How does a QNX equipped car fit in with BlackBerry 10?

They’re built on the same tried and true technology and branched from the same source. For the QNX car, we added in the things automotive companies expect and removed the things that they don’t need. These identical underpinnings allow us to do something unique, which is to draw on the mobile development ecosystem to give car makers something they want – an app ecosystem. The QNX car makes use software development being done for BlackBerry 10, such as browser optimization, power optimization, and file system improvements, and we also have technology assets for BlackBerry that are a natural fit for the connected automotive experience; things such as mobile device management, secure communication channels, graphics frameworks, encryption and authentication, and application stores and delivery.

All of this has lead to the QNX team being awarded a Design and Engineering Showcase Award at CES 2013.

For more details and a behind-the-scenes “Making Of” video, swing by the QNX Auto Blog – then be sure to share your thoughts on the car.