Audi to Add Traffic Light Countdown Clocks to Cars When you roll up to a red light, you'll see a countdown clock on the dashboard showing how long until it turns green.
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Audi cars will soon be able to talk to traffic lights and tell you when they'll turn green.
The luxury automaker on Monday announced that some 2017 models will be equipped with a feature that enables the vehicle to communicate with traffic lights in select cites across the U.S. So, when you roll up to a red light, you'll see a little countdown clock on the dashboard and head-up display that shows the remaining time until the signal changes to green.
In a statement, Audi's General Manager for connected vehicles, Pom Malhotra, said this represents the company's first step in "vehicle-to-infrastructure integration."
"In the future we could envision this technology integrated into vehicle navigation, start/stop functionality and can even be used to help improve traffic flow in municipalities," Malhotra said. "These improvements could lead to better overall efficiency and shorter commuting times."
Audi of America plans to roll out the new feature later this fall in "select smart cities and metropolitan areas across the country." The company did not specify which cities. It will be available on 2017 Audi Q7, A4 and A4 allroad models built after June 1 of this year.
Meanwhile, Audi is also reportedly gearing up to take on Tesla by launching three electric car models by 2020 as part of a "strategic overhaul," prompted by parent-company Volkswagen's ongoing emissions scandal. Audi also intends to funnel more resources into the development of digital services and autonomous driving technologies.
