Check out Qualcomm's tricked out car of the not-so-distant future

Check out Qualcomm's tricked out car of the not so distant future
Smart car, dumb driver

Don't you hate it when you get in your car and you weren't the last person driving? The seat is in the wrong place, the radio's tuned to an awful station and the air con is on full blast even those it's the middle of winter.

Well those issues could soon be the thing of the past as Qualcomm showed off it's new automotive tech at CES 2015 in Las Vegas.

The brains behind the operation is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 602a processor - a specially adapted 'automotive grade' smartphone processor, which means it has a 10 year life cycle - and its Gobi 4G LTE advanced modem.

Analysts believe by the end of 2017 60% of all new cars will be connected through mobile tech, while one in five cars will be context aware by the end of 2018, so this technology is really on the cusp of becoming a reality in day-to-day life.

We jumped inside Qualcomm's specially adapted Cadillac XTS concept car (you won't be able to buy this model) to find out what it's been up to.

User profiles for your car

You've got them on your computer, your tablet and even your games console - so why not have profiles for your car too?

Effectively you're "signing in" to the car and it will automatically adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel to your preferred position.

Qualcomm automotive at CES 2015

Your personal settings can be automatically applied to the car

Glance to the screen in the centre console and your profile will be displayed, and various details can be pulled through from your phone including calendar appointments and music.

The digital instrument display behind the steering wheel can also be customised - not fussed about the rev counter? Ditch it in favour of maps or other readouts.

Qualcomm automotive at CES 2015

Someone else in the car too? They can play too

And when your partner comes to drive, they just sign in from their phone and they'll be greeted by all their custom settings as just a touch of a button.

If this technology is widely adopted then you could potentially "sign in" to a rental or a friend's vehicle and have all your own settings ready to go.

Eyes everywhere

Qualcomm automotive at CES 2015

Four cameras let you see all round the car

The car we were sitting in was fitted with four cameras, one on each side, giving you views of all angles of your car.

This is obviously useful if you're trying to park in a tight spot, ensuring you don't hit anything, and the "bird view" mode allows you to see all sides of the car at the same time.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.