Technology has transformed how automobiles interact with consumers and their smartphones. Since smartphones have become a major part in today’s society automakers are constantly working on ways to improve its technology using smartphones. In a recent report automakers and Tier 1 suppliers are in the mist of creating a technology where consumers can pair a smartphone by tapping it against the dashboard. This will eliminate consumers having to navigate thru menus on two separate screens.

According to Auto News NXP Semiconductors, a Netherlands-based chipmaker, said that it will offer a lineup of automotive-grade tags and chips. The first set of cars will go into production around 2016. This includes a controller chip that can support dozens of functions. Auto News also reports that within a few years near-field communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication where the antenna used is much smaller than the wavelength of the carrier signal, is expected to become a standard feature in smartphones. IHS has projected that 416 million handsets with the NFC technology would be shipped globally in 2014 and will rise to 1.2 billion by 2018. Equipping the NXP controller chip with the capability to support cars using NFC would only cost a few dollars making it affordable and easy.

Automakers have invested heavily in creating features to connect consumers with their smartphones. Making it possible to sync a phone with a single touch will increase the amount of consumers that actually connect their phones with their vehicles.