Even earlier than CES 2025 kicked off just a few developments started to emerge — or extra precisely, some gaps appeared.
All U.S. and a few European automakers which have helped flip CES into an auto present had been absent. Several Chinese automakers crammed that void, notably Zeekr, the EV model owned by China’s Geely Holdings. Wey, a premium model beneath Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng additionally had cubicles.
The West Hall within the Las Vegas Convention Center, the place nearly all of car and transportation tech units up, felt emptier than earlier years. And notably, a number of the greatest bulletins had nothing to do with new EVs — or different merchandise which may take up a number of bodily house. Toyota, for example, introduced the primary part of Woven City, a prototype metropolis constructed on 175 acres on the foot of Mount Fuji, was full and looking for inventors and startups. Oh, and that it’s additionally “exploring rockets.” Not precisely one thing one can exhibit at CES.
Still, there was future-of-transportation tech to be found. This yr, autonomous car expertise had a bigger presence than ever earlier than, and what was there offered just a few hints how the remainder of the yr could form up. Here are the foremost themes we noticed on the present.
AI and automatic driving tech
Some of the most important reveals on the Las Vegas Convention Center targeted on automated driving applied sciences.
Autonomous car firms which might be growing (or have launched) robotaxi providers like May Mobility, Japanese firm Tier IV, Waymo, and Zoox all had a presence. Notably, Zoox was additionally giving robotaxi rides to the media main as much as CES and all through the present.
Automated tech popped somewhere else too, together with agriculture-focused firms like John Deere and Kubota and startups like Polymath Robotics that apply its self-driving programs to off-road environments.
Perhaps the most important group of firms had been exhibiting off merchandise that assist automated driving and superior driving help programs, together with simulation, machine studying, sensors, and information integration. Even Honda bought into the combo by saying a brand new working system known as Asimo (sure, after the long-lasting robotic) that will likely be built-in into its next-gen 0 Series EVs and used to assist ADAS options.
Comma.ai was additionally on the scene. This startup, based by George Hotz, has developed an open supply driver-assistance system and supporting {hardware} that may be plugged into many trendy automobiles to provide it superior driver help capabilities on par with Tesla Autopilot and GM’s hands-free Super Cruise system.
Vay, which has put a driverless twist on car-sharing, was additionally in Las Vegas — though not on the present ground. The startup, which arrange store within the metropolis a few years in the past, introduced a significant growth of its service.
Nvidia continues to accomplice with everybody
Every yr at CES, the transportation desk will get a bundle of bulletins from Nvidia detailing which automaker, provider, and transportation companions have signed on to make use of Nvidia’s expertise, and 2025 was no completely different. What stood out, although, was Nvidia’s dedication to offering as a lot of the self-driving stack as attainable, from testing and simulation to onboard supercomputers to cloud supercomputing.
One prime instance was Nvidia’s collaboration with Toyota. The two have labored collectively for years to assist Toyota’s R&D unit develop, practice, and validate AV expertise, however this yr, the 2 introduced extra concrete plans to have Nvidia’s tech energy Toyota’s future automobiles, which we now know will likely be geared up with automated driving capabilities. Specifically, we’ll see Nvidia’s Drive AGX Orin System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and DriveOS safety-focused working system deployed on Toyota’s next-generation automobiles.
When it involves Level 4 autonomous car expertise (which means, a system that may drive itself with no need a human to take over), Nvidia had extra information to share. The chipmaker is partnering with self-driving trucking firm Aurora Innovation and automotive provider Continental that can see Nvidia’s Drive Thor SoC and DriveOS built-in into the Aurora Driver, which is Aurora’s AV system that Continental plans to mass produce in 2027.
Finally, one of many extra stunning partnerships was with Uber. The ride-hail and supply big plans to make use of Nvidia’s new world mannequin simulation instrument, Cosmos, and cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, DGX Cloud, to assist the event of autonomous car expertise. Uber didn’t share the way it plans to make use of these instruments, because it doesn’t develop its personal AV tech. The firm plans to accomplice with AV firms to deliver self-driving providers to its platform.
New takes on the display screen
Screens are nothing new at CES. They have been in every single place for some time now. This yr, there have been some firms pushing the concept of screens past conventional concepts.
Supplier Valeo confirmed off a novel product that it calls panovision — and which will likely be in BMW’s next-generation Neue Klasse automobiles — that displays a full display screen alongside the bottom of the windshield. The firm revealed this expertise at CES 2024. This yr, an in-cabin driver monitoring system has been built-in into the system.
Automotive provider Hyundai Mobis confirmed off a holographic display screen that covers all the windshield. From the skin it appears like some other windshield. But from behind the driving force’s seat the windshield turns right into a clear display screen that provides data like navigation and music playlists.
GenAI is creeping into the automotive
Automakers have been swept into the generative AI hype combine — a pattern that began final yr. Even the informal observer seemingly seen the time period “genAI” “chatgpt” or “LLMs” all through the car expertise part of the LVCC.
It was in every single place — and nowhere, in the event you catch our drift. In some instances, there have been actual partnerships and plans behind the phrases.
Take BMW and its partnership with Amazon. BMW used CES 2025 to showcase its new in-car person interface, which is able to debut in its Neue Klasse sedan later this yr and in the end spreading to all fashions.
BMW mentioned it would use Amazon’s Alexa customized assistant expertise in these future automobiles in addition to these on the highway at the moment. This isn’t the Alexa app drivers is perhaps used to. This is a white label product that can combine Amazon’s giant language fashions. Use of this expertise will focus initially on navigation, in an effort to let prospects give extra in depth spoken instructions utilizing pure language.
BMW and Amazon will begin rolling out LLM-powered capabilities as a part of a beta in choose automobiles and international locations.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm got here to CES with enhancements to its Snapdragon Digital Chassis (its suite of cloud-connected platforms for automakers) and Cockpit (its digital cockpit and infotainment system). And it wouldn’t be CES 2025 if a few of these updates didn’t embrace generative AI.
The chipmaker mentioned a spread of automotive suppliers – like Alps Alpine, Panasonic, and Garmin – in addition to Indian automaker Mahindra, plan to combine Qualcomm expertise into their experiences. Generative AI options now include the territory for “clever and personalised in-cabin experiences.”
Some options which might be powered by Meta’s Llama and OpenAI’s Whisper Small may appear to be real-time detection of distracted or drowsy driving; biometric identification to routinely modify seat positions, mirror angles, and so forth.; navigation suggestions based mostly on the driving force’s state, wish to a espresso store if they appear drained.
Other potential use instances for Qualcomm’s generative AI choices may very well be multimodal AI that identifies factors of curiosity en route, utilizing fashions like Llama, open-source LlaVa, and Fast Stable Diffusion, and even customized content material technology to ship personalised, on-demand leisure to passengers.
Micromobility exists!
Finally, there was plenty of speak — and proof — that micromobility is useless. But that’s not fairly proper.
Sure, the shared scooter and ebike companies have largely struggled, or shut down. But strolling via the North Hall, we had been struck by what number of ebike and scooter manufacturers (a lot of which had been Chinese manufacturers) had been exhibiting.
Vmax launched six new scooters for its 2025 lineup, Aima Technology Group revealed a number of new ebikes, and Heybikes launched a mid-drive fats tire mannequin. Segment chief Segwey additionally launched two new ebikes which might be geared up with the corporate’s suite of sensible tech and options known as Intelligent Ride System.
Verge Motorcycles subsidiary Donut Lab additionally bought into the combo and launched an electrical motor that may be built-in immediately into the tire.
