Thoughts on CES 2025

January 13th, 2025 | by Mark Thomas, EVP of Marketing and Alliances | Posted in: Insight on Things, Thought Leadership Articles

There was a moment just before the pandemic where CES stood for Car Electronic Show with all the major auto OEMs showcasing vehicles that envisioned a new world of autonomous driving, complete with car interiors fashioned into living rooms.

Thoughts on CES image of show floor

This year’s CES had a very different feel. It felt like an automotive supplier trade show with vendors showcasing their ingredient components for the evolution of passenger vehicles. Some of the key themes of the show included:

Reimagining the cabin experience for drivers.

Advanced heads-up displays including BMWs Panoramic Vision and the Hyundai Mobis holographic windshield are advancements on the driver experience, bringing safety and efficiency to people driving vehicles. The cabin experience is being reimagined for more immersive lighting.

Personalizing the outside of vehicles.

Advancements in lighting also pervaded the outside of the vehicle, with new classes of lighting providing more expressive vehicle exteriors. Animations, expressions, and visual interest are now options for future vehicles, with as significant a departure as the change from incandescent/halogen to LED lighting.

Thoughts on CES - Personalization becomes more important

Sensors everywhere.

The biggest presence on the West Hall show floor was the proliferation of sensor and sensor mounting options. As sensors become more integral and visual to the future driving experience, weatherproofing and preservation of alignment becomes essential to keeping the sensors operational. Cabin mounted radar for accurate cabin monitoring, child detection, and theft alerts complemented externals for parking, automated door opening protection, and touch-free entry options.

AI-powered features.

Probably the newest pervasive message this year was how everything is now AI-powered. AI is now an ingredient making every component smarter. The new AI experience for vehicles will be hundreds of small AI use cases, each powering their task with higher levels of accuracy. The age of drowsy driving detection frequently giving false drowsy notifications is going away quickly.

Connected everything.

As vehicles evolve, the integration of the outside world into the cabin becomes more prevalent. Why wonder if the signal is going to change before you get there when the vehicle itself can warn you that you won’t make the light? Object detection from one vehicle can alert vehicles around it, keeping everyone more informed about road hazards and optimal lane selection. Harman demonstrated a suite of innovative e-connected services designed to keep drivers more informed of the world around them.

New vehicles.

The show wasn’t without new vehicle announcements. Honda introduced two new vehicles, including the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon concept cars that were a radical departure styling-wise from the typical Honda vehicles. Geely’s Zeeker introduced three new models including a luxurious (and massive) 009 Grand that may be one of the most comfortable passenger experiences for a vehicle yet.

Overall, it was a rather tame show with much less vision and fanfare, but it was one that offered a more realistic view into the future of vehicles and the next generation driving experience. Other than Waymo, autonomous driving as a near term was not to be seen. It was the year of the driver.

Ridecell talks about the future of fleet at CES

Bringing it all together.

Of course, we were there sharing about the exciting advancements in technology and AI tools that will lead the future of fleets.

Author:
Mark Thomas, EVP of Alliances and Marketing, Ridecell