The cars of CES 2015 (pictures)

Toyota kicked off its CES 2015 by making over five thousand of its fuel cell EV patents available for royalty free use. The automaker hopes to jump-start FCEV development across the industry.

Mercedes-Benz's vision of the future is a luxurious lounge on wheels that pampers passengers with connected tech while the car does the driving autonomously.

CES is packed with automotive-safety and infotainment-tech providers all fighting for attention with crazy displays and pounding music.

Volkswagen rolled out its fully electric e-Golf. For CES, the hatchback has been updated to support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

VW's steps toward autonomous driving are deliberately small. The automaker demonstrated its Trained Parking tech, which can automatically park and retrieve the car while the driver waits curbside.

We also got a peek at a possible future of VW's dashboard tech in the Golf R Touch concept, as well as the new Park Assist available in the e-Golf.

Jeep Wranglers aren't what you'd call tech cars, but we were impressed by the Alpine-powered premium audio system. Because Jeeps need to be rugged, the floor-mounted subwoofer has been designed to work while completely submerged in water.

Ford has a large presence, leading off with the opening keynote and following it up by showcasing its next-generation Ford Sync infotainment.

Replacing the MyFord Touch, Sync 3.0 has been rebuilt from the bones up and looks very promising.

Car tech and connected cars are kind of a big deal.

One of the oddest cars at the show was the 84-mpg Elio. This three-wheeled, two-passenger car will cost under $7,000 when it hits the road later this year.

BMW showcased its i8 and i3 plug-in vehicles.

BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and others all showcased conceptual smartwatch apps that can lock, unlock, start, monitor, and even autonomously retrieve their connected cars.

Hyundai's smartwatch integration looks almost ready for primetime. The tech builds on the automaker's BlueLink tech.

Tier 1 provider Valeo also showcased similar tech. We're ready to say goodbye to bulky car keys.

The automaker's ActiveAssist tech is a familiar bit of autonomy, able to automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision.

Audi's autonomous car made the 550-mile drive to CES 2015 without any driver intervention.

Startup SenseDriver has announced a new aftermarket head-up display that integrates with your smartphone and offers voice-command interaction.

General Motors discussed its new OnStar 4G LTE telematics tech, but we were more interested in checking out the Corvette Stingray Z06.

The automaker also had a customized example of the Stingray on display.

Before there were connected, self-driving cars, automotive tech at CES was all about big speakers and big noise.

At CES 2015, gaudy colors, big wheels, and loud stereos are still very much in full effect.

Car tech suppliers often use exotic cars to attract the attention of passersby.

Cobra has outfitted this Lamborghini with its latest tech.

Electric bikes, scooters, and other wheeled transport are alternatives to the familiar car.

BMW's Concept Iconic Lights showed the wide possibilities of laser headlights, not only illuminating the road but projecting helpful drier signals.

Electric car maker Renovo brought its Coupe to CES 2015, complete with a new dashboard based on Nvidia's Tegra X1 chip and Drive CX computer.

The Drive CX computer let Renovo build a virtual instrument cluster and center infotainment system in less than a month.