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All the cool car stuff at CES 2019

As usual, the future of transportation was on display in Las Vegas this January. Here are some of our favorites.

Andrew Krok
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Audi and Disney's Holoride demonstration
1 of 56 Audi

Audi/Disney Holoride

Audi and Disney have collaborated on a rear-seat VR entertainment system that actually ties into the drive itself.

Audi and Disney's Holoride demonstration
2 of 56 Audi

Audi/Disney Holoride

The rear seat passenger wears a set of VR goggles, which displays an interactive game -- the CES demo featured an Avengers tie-in.

Audi and Disney's Holoride demonstration
3 of 56 Audi

Audi/Disney Holoride

Holoride's content is automatically generated to suit each journey, matching turns and movements in the car with actions in the game.

Audi and Disney's Holoride demonstration
4 of 56 Audi

Audi/Disney Holoride

Perhaps the next cross-country road trip won't be so bad.

bellthing123
5 of 56 CNET

Bell Nexus air taxi concept

You might know Bell for its helicopters, but it's ready to jump into the air taxi fray with this full-scale concept.

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6 of 56 CNET

Bell Nexus air taxi concept

Bell believes the first test flights could happen as soon as 2020.

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7 of 56 Bell

Bell Nexus air taxi concept

The interior has space for four, plus a pilot.

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8 of 56 Kyle Hyatt/Roadshow

BMW self-riding motorcycle

While the bike itself isn't new, it's the first time BMW has brought this tech to the US.

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9 of 56 Kyle Hyatt/Roadshow

BMW self-riding motorcycle

Not only is this bike capable of staying upright in turns, it has a little kickstand that deploys when it's time to stop.

Byton production M-Byte interior
10 of 56 Byton

Byton production M-Byte interior

What you see here is an interior that's destined for production, believe it or not.

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11 of 56 Byton

Byton production M-Byte interior

With a 47-inch screen spanning the width of the dashboard and a touchpad covering half of the steering wheel, it's absolutely wild.

Daimler Freightliner Cascadia
12 of 56 Emme Hall/Roadshow

Daimler Freightliner Level 2 semi-autonomy

Daimler's Freightliner subsidiary came to CES to show off tech that makes its trucks safer for everyone.

Daimler Freightliner Cascadia
13 of 56 Emme Hall/Roadshow

Daimler Freightliner Level 2 semi-autonomy

Freightliner Cascadia Class-8 trucks now come standard with adaptive cruise control that can bring the truck to a stop before starting off again.

Daimler Freightliner Cascadia
14 of 56 Emme Hall/Roadshow

Daimler Freightliner Level 2 semi-autonomy

Most impressive, though, is its automatic braking system, which can detect pedestrians or cars and come to an alarmingly fast stop.

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15 of 56 Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson LiveWire

The LiveWire isn't new, but Harley-Davidson came to CES to announce its pricing and the fact that it's available for preorder.

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16 of 56 Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson LiveWire

It's pricey, though -- its $29,799 price tag includes a battery that only covers 110 miles between charges.

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17 of 56 Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson LiveWire

H-D also announced that the LiveWire will emit a futuristic take on the "signature Harley-Davidson sound."

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18 of 56 Honda

Honda Dream Drive

Honda's Dream Drive infotainment concept is a whole ecosystem focused on commerce and content.

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19 of 56 Honda

Honda Dream Drive

Using their own devices, passengers can peruse comic books or watch movies. Up front, the driver can book reservations and pay for gas, all through the infotainment system.

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20 of 56 Angela Lang/CNET

Hyundai Elevate walking car concept

Hyundai used CES 2019 as the backdrop to debut its Elevate walking car concept. 

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21 of 56 Angela Lang/CNET

Hyundai Elevate walking car concept

While it does have traditional wheels on each corner, they're connected to the vehicle by way of mechanical "legs."

Hyundai Elevate Concept
22 of 56 Hyundai

Hyundai Elevate walking car concept

According to Hyundai, the Elevate is capable of driving at highway speeds, but it can also allegedly climb a 5-foot wall, step over a 5-foot gap and have a track width up to 15 feet. 

hyundai-elevate-promo
23 of 56 Hyundai

Hyundai Elevate walking car concept

So, it's basically an AT-AT from Star Wars that has, as Hyundai puts it, "both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits."

Hyundai Elevate Concept
24 of 56 Hyundai

Hyundai Elevate walking car concept

To keep things efficient, the legs can cut power to its joints when acting like a normal vehicle.

Intel and Warner Bros. immersive entertainment
25 of 56 Intel

Intel/WB augmented reality in cars

Entertainment might get a whole lot more immersive in future autonomous vehicles.

Intel and Warner Bros. immersive entertainment
26 of 56 Intel

Intel/WB augmented reality in cars

Intel outfitted this BMW X5 with augmented reality displays that could turn an autonomous commute into a trip through Gotham City.

Intel and Warner Bros. immersive entertainment
27 of 56 Intel

Intel/WB augmented reality in cars

You can be sure that content companies will be clamoring to get their wares in front of bored commuters of the future.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
28 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

The second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class debuted at CES.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
29 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Its 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 had its wick turned up to 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
30 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

It packs Mercedes' MBUX infotainment system, which in this iteration includes both a digital assistant and gesture control.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
31 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive is optional.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
32 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

The 2020 CLA-Class goes on sale in the fall.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic
33 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic

The Vision Urbanetic isn't new, but CES marked the first time this wild van concept came to the US.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic
34 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic

In the people-mover form seen here, the van has space for up to 12 people, and it's tall enough where a person can stand up comfortably.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic
35 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic

This is just a study in electric, autonomous vehicle design, so don't expect it to come to market.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic
36 of 56 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic

Nevertheless, the concept shows what kind of flexibility we can expect from future vehicles.

2019 Nissan Leaf E+
37 of 56 Nissan

2019 Nissan Leaf E+

The Leaf E+ is the longer-range version of Nissan's second-generation EV hatchback.

2019 Nissan Leaf E+
38 of 56 Nissan

2019 Nissan Leaf E+

Its larger, 62-kWh battery gives it an estimated range of 226 miles.

2019 Nissan Leaf E+
39 of 56 Nissan

2019 Nissan Leaf E+

It has a more powerful motor, too, putting out 214 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque.

2019 Nissan Leaf E+
40 of 56 Nissan

2019 Nissan Leaf E+

All Leaf E+ models will come standard with Nissan's semi-autonomous ProPilot Assist driver aids.

Qualcomm C-V2X demo
41 of 56 Jake Holmes/Roadshow

Qualcomm C-V2X demonstration

Qualcomm announced at CES that it would install cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) connected car tech around Las Vegas for testing.

Qualcomm C-V2X demo
42 of 56 Jake Holmes/Roadshow

Qualcomm C-V2X demonstration

We took a brief spin in an Audi Q8 equipped with C-V2X, which allows cellular-based communications between vehicles and infrastructure.

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43 of 56 Qualcomm

Qualcomm C-V2X demonstration

The hope is that C-V2X can reduce accidents and make roads safer for everybody.

Roav Bolt by Anker (OGI)
44 of 56 Roav by Anker

Roav Bolt

The Bolt plugs into your car's 12-volt socket, acting as a conduit for bringing Google Voice Assistant into the car.

Roav Bolt by Anker
45 of 56 Roav by Anker

Roav Bolt

It can run wirelessly via Bluetooth, but it works with a 3.5-millimeter jack for use in older vehicles, too.

Roav Bolt by Anker
46 of 56 Roav by Anker

Roav Bolt

Accessing the assistant can be done by tapping the Bolt itself or by saying the usual, "OK Google."

Lexus LS 500h autonomous research car
47 of 56 Toyota

Toyota Guardian semi-autonomous system

Toyota came to CES to show off the latest version of its autonomous development vehicle, based on a new Lexus LS 500h.

Lexus LS 500h autonomous research car
48 of 56 Toyota

Toyota Guardian semi-autonomous system

One of its AV systems, Guardian, is meant to supplement a human driver, offering help only when it's necessary.

Lexus LS 500h autonomous research car
49 of 56 Toyota

Toyota Guardian semi-autonomous system

Toyota believes this system will be so helpful, in fact, that it's offering it to the entire industry.

Lexus LS 500h autonomous research car
50 of 56 Toyota

Toyota Guardian semi-autonomous system

Toyota hasn't announced any partners yet, but the automaker said talks are currently happening.

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51 of 56 Udelv

Udelv Newton

Udelv introduced its second-generation Newton self-driving van, which runs on the latest version of Baidu's Apollo open-source AV platform.

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52 of 56 Udelv

Udelv Newton

Walmart and XL Parts have signed on to pilot autonomous delivery van programs in 2019.

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53 of 56 Valeo

Valeo XtraVue Trailer

Valeo brought the latest version of its XtraVue Trailer system to CES, which uses cameras to make the trailer look "invisible" on screen.

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54 of 56 Valeo

Valeo XtraVue Trailer

The system uses two cameras, one mounted behind the tow vehicle and one mounted behind the trailer.

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55 of 56 WayRay

WayRay augmented reality windshield

WayRay brought its augmented reality windshield to CES, which goes beyond traditional head-up displays by adding animated overlays across the entire windshield.

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56 of 56 Marc Ganley/Roadshow

WayRay augmented reality windshield

In theory, this tech could be used to help drivers improve their skills, or further improve navigation systems.

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