The car is undergoing a transformation from humble hardware device to cloud-connected smart room that will soon be driving itself. Speaking at the Samsung keynote, President Bill Clinton described getting into a staff member’s Ford and being invited to ask it something. “I asked ‘Where is the nearest Chinese restaurant, and I immediately got a list, a map and GPS directions. I didn’t know that about the Ford! Driving has become a high-tech experience,” said Clinton.

Ford provided the first automotive keynote at CES, and was one of few vehicle vendors in town two years ago, touting its My Ford Touch, Ford SYNC and AppLink, features that synced smartphones and personal music players to the car, enabling user control through voice activation and steering wheel buttons.

It’s still ahead in terms of presenting the car as a “development platform,” which was its emphasis this year, in launching the first open mobile app developer program for cars by inviting them to integrate their ideas with SYNC AppLink.

It is estimated there will be 14 million domestic drivers using Ford SYNC vehicles by 2014. Ford SYNC AppLink global product manager Julius Marchwicki said the company plans to tap into that market with an eye on the one billion U.S. smartphone users. “The Ford AppLink developer program is live, and the automobile is open for business,” Marchwicki said at a press conference at The Venetian.

A recent Frost & Sullivan study found one in five respondents used apps with no connection to the vehicle while driving. SYNC encourages safety by providing connectivity without the need to remove hands from the steering wheel. Those who have participated since Ford launched AppLink in 2010 include Pandora, Stitcher, NPR News, iHeartRadio, Roximity and Scout.

Going forward, it will concentrate on apps that are a natural fit with the car. Examples of the kind of apps Ford is looking for include BeCouply, which “helps couples have epic social lives” and Kaliki, with professional radio talent reading a selection of interesting articles from popular magazines. No-nos will be apps that involve video or rich imagery for the driver, excessive text or games.

Since the program is open, Ford is willing to use it to help establish industry standards. It is also willing to negotiate with creators for distribution rights, and those with an idea but no infrastructure will be invited to work with JacAPPS. If Ford is largely about enhancing the experience inside the car, fellow auto makers Lexus and Audi were touting safety and convenience features that had more to do with “the drive.”

Lexus has brought to CES an “advanced active safety research vehicle” it is developing called ITS, or Intelligent Transportation Systems. In other words, cars that drive themselves.

Lexus product manager Jason Schultz said the social issues are more complicated than the technological ones. “Will people be comfortable letting a car drive itself?” Cars are already getting things like pre-collision detection and lane-keep assist. The way to look at it, Schultz suggests, is “having an intelligent co-pilot looking out for you.”

The U.S. market may be helped along by development overseas. Japan has already allocated spectrum for cars to “talk to each other.” Less “active” driving and more time as a captive audience sounds like a potential entertainment opportunity.

Audi, the German car brand that wins the cool contest for its German-designed booth, is also looking ahead to “pilotless driving,” which the company predicts will be “technically feasible” before the decade is out. The company is showcasing at its booth what it is like to be caught up in a traffic jam of the future. Audi’s piloted driving will help the driver to steer the car within certain limits. It also accelerates and brakes the vehicle autonomously. In the future, piloted driving will also be able to maneuver the vehicle autonomously into and out of parking spaces – such as in tight roadside parking spaces and parking garages.