Every year, many of the world’s major tech brands flock to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.
Not only do the likes of Samsung, Sony and smaller start-ups take their place in the Nevada city, but many car brands go as well – showing how mobility could change in the near-future.
Here is what motoring manufacturers will be displaying at this year’s event.
Audi
In a move to entertain passengers rather than aid drivers, Audi has displayed a new set of virtual reality glasses that allows people to be immersed into an outer space environment. Along with the Audi Electronics Venture subsidiary, Audi has created the holoridestart-up company, which will be making this technology available to all manufacturers in the future.
The German brand has also teamed up with Disney and Marvel Studios to create the ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run’ VR experience, which stars Rocket Racoon from the upcoming Avengers: Endgame film and previous Marvel titles.
The experience uses the vehicle’s movement to move through the world, so when the car moves right, the VR user will too in the artificially-generated world. Attendees at CES will be able to experience this in the new e-tron all-electric SUV.
BMW
The German manufacturer is using CES to show off one of its futuristic concepts – the Vision iNext – as well as some new technology that is slowly being deployed throughout the range.
People at CES will be able to take a virtual drive in the iNext before the model comes to the road in 2021, and uses 2025 as its backdrop to show drivers what the motoring world could be like in near-future. The iNext will be the brand’s next flagship and is likely to revolutionise the design and feel of future BMWs.
BMW is also displaying its new Intelligent Personal Assistant, which is being used in its latest vehicles. The company is also seeing where the technology could go by showing futuristic features that could become commonplace – with the car able to help your life both in and out of the car.
Byton
The Chinese start-up is showing off the M-Byte all-electric SUV, which is set to come with a 48-inch widescreen on the dashboard, a touchscreen embedded in the steering wheel, 5G support and Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant.
The model debuted at CES 2018, but this year shows Byton flexing its muscles with this futuristic cabin for its upcoming model. The huge screen can be controlled by the smaller touchscreen unit on the wheel or with gestures. Two versions of the M-Byte will be made, with prices said to start from just over £35,000 and production set to start this year.
Honda
As well as showing off improved versions of previous concepts, such as the Safe Swarm mobility communication concept which supports contact between vehicles, pedestrians and infrastructure, Honda will also be displaying a new vehicle.
The Autonomous Work Vehicle is a prototype all-terrain vehicle that was thought-up by the Japanese company’s American research and development team, which uses a four-wheel drive system to get over rougher terrain and uses GPS and sensors to get to hard-to-reach places. It can be fitted with a series of useful attachment for different services, such as scientific research and firefighting, but is currently still being refined.
The P.A.T.H. (Predicting Action of the Human) robot is also being displayed, which uses artificial intelligence to potentially enhance human life and is fitted with a camera and sensors to survey its surroundings.
Hyundai
With what is arguably the weirdest concept on display at CES, Hyundai is displaying a four-legged car that would be able to help out in natural disasters. The Elevate concept has wheels at the end of each extension so that it can function as a normal car on flat ground, but each of those can be folded out to help get it over trickier terrains.
Looking like something from Thunderbirds, the Elevate could also be used in everyday life, by helping those with disabilities get around.
It’s unclear whether this will become a reality, but this is certainly one of the stand-out models from CES 2019.
Nissan
The Japanese manufacturer is using CES to show off a piece of virtual reality technology that will allow drivers to see hidden and obscured objects. Using 360-degree sensors, the Invisible-to-Visible (I2V) technology will be able to show drivers what is surrounding them, what hazards they should be aware of and potentially predicting what is coming ahead on their route.
The I2V system would also be able to show road instructions and animated guides to the city around them, as well as providing parking information when a space is needed.
Toyota
In an attempt to prevent collisions further, Toyota is showing off its new Guardian assistance system, which can predict when an incident might occur and also help drivers in avoiding incidents themselves. By combining both human and technology control, the symbiosis of the two will be able to react to potential incidents quicker – meaning drivers don’t rely on technology all the time.
