Technology looks set to take more and more of the decisions made by drivers out of their hands on both safety and environmental grounds as vehicles become increasingly autonomous. Those are among the messages that could be gleaned from Continental Automotive’s Continental TechShow 2015.

Held at the Contidrom, Continental’s vast proving ground some 30kms from Hanover, Germany, it was a pick-and-mix showcase of the almost-bewildering variety of innovations the global automotive components giant has under development.

Vehicles will increasingly be at the centre of a constant exchange of anonymised data between each other (V2V) and the surrounding infrastructure (V2I), says Continental. As well as ensuring that each car keeps a safe distance from its neighbour it will help drivers anticipate what they are likely to encounter around the next corner.

Also helping drivers look beyond their immediate horizon is Continental's newly developed dynamic eHorizon, which gives drivers a picture of the highway conditions they will face over the next few kilometres. “It uses the cloud to turn eHorizon’s digital map into a high-precision and constantly up-to-date information carrier,” says Helmut Matschi, head of Continental’s interior division and a member of the executive board.

It can be married to Connected Enhanced Cruise Control, another development. It allows dynamic eHorizon to work with on-board radars and cameras to ensure that a correct, safe, fuel-efficient speed is maintained at all times as inclines, bends and changes to the speed limit are anticipated.

“All the driver has to do is steer,” says Dr Stefan Luke, head of advanced driver assistance systems and automation. “What we are doing is implementing another important element in the movement towards highly and indeed fully-automated driving.”

Those sensors may include Lidar. It measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser beam and analysing the reflected light.

“The information delivered online is always integrated with the data and sensor information available in the vehicle so that safety-relevant systems have several redundant data sources at all times,” says Luke. “That way, we prevent actions being taken on the basis of incorrect information.”

Even when drivers assume a greater degree of control, technology will be used constantly to influence the decisions they make.

Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal is a prime example. It tells the driver when the accelerator pedal can be released and the car allowed to coast, cutting fuel usage by 2% to 3% says Continental.

It does so by using haptic feedback, which gives whoever is at the wheel the sensation that the pedal is pushing back against his right foot.

Ever accidentally gone through a red traffic light because you were daydreaming or distracted? Traffic Light Assist show the status of the light controlling the highway ahead on a display on the fascia and tells you how close you are to it; a useful reminder believes Continental and a way of reducing the risk of collisions.

Active intervention may of course be necessary if a car is thundering towards a stationary or moving obstruction with the driver showing no intention of stopping. Continental has devised systems that will automatically bring it to a halt in an emergency and has additionally come up with Road Departure Protection.

It detects if a driver has become drowsy and is drifting out of one lane on the motorway into an adjacent one – and potentially into the path of oncoming traffic – or off the highway altogether and down a waiting embankment.

Not only does it trigger an alert, it also takes control of the steering and steers the vehicle back into the lane it should be in.

“It serves as a virtual guard rail,” says Steffen Linkenbach, head of systems and technology North America, chassis and safety division.

As the car moves back onto the right course the newly awoken driver will hopefully glance in the exterior rear-view mirrors.

If Continental has its way however – and the law in force in many global markets changes – those mirrors will be replaced by rear-view cameras that transmit remarkably-clear images to screens on the dashboard. They eliminate blind spots too.

“The effects of unwanted optical phenomena such as glare and weak light can be compensated for,” says Alfred Eckert, director, advanced engineering department, chassis and safety division.

“Eliminate the mirrors and air-resistance is reduced which in turn reduces fuel consumption,” he continues. “Furthermore, wind flow noise at higher speeds is diminished.”

Fish-eye cameras are at the heart of Continental’s Surround View, which allows the driver to see everything that is going on all around the car on a dashboard display; a useful facility when manoeuvring at low speeds.

Continental is convinced that continued pressure to cut emissions of CO2 and other harmful pollutants and force cars to become more frugal means that the future lies with mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric drives.

The pressure to cut emissions is more acute in some parts of the globe than others given the problems they face with urban air quality.

For the Chinese market Continental has come up with an electrically-driven rear axle that combines the motor, the differential and the inverter in a single housing. It delivers a 15% weight saving, says the company, and means that all the connections that would be required if the main components were housed as separate units are eliminated.

Continental is also busy with 48v electrics, including a 48v Eco Drive mild hybrid. It cuts the engine when it is safe to do so to allow the car to coast to save fuel while enabling it to re-start instantly when needed, resulting in a claimed cut in consumption of around 21% on urban journeys.

“If we rely purely on combustion engines then it will become increasingly difficult to comply with the ever-stricter rules governing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions that are in force around the world,” warns Dr Bernd Mahr, head of the powertrain division’s hybrid electric vehicle business unit. “By 2020 they will demand reductions ranging from 20% to 35%.”

Demanding targets – but targets the global motor industry will have to meet.