X

All the cool car stuff at CES 2020

Whether it's weird or weirdly close to production, there's plenty of unique automotive tech on display at CES this year. Here are some of our favorites.

andrewkrok.jpg
andrewkrok.jpg
Andrew Krok
rivian-amazon-promo
1 of 32 Rivian

Amazon Alexa integration in cars

Alexa integration is all the rage here at CES 2020, but it's a little more involved than what you might think.

lamborghini-alexa-promo
2 of 32 Lamborghini

Amazon Alexa integration in cars

Both Lamborghini and Rivian have announced deep Alexa integration that will not only cover your usual IoT stuff (like turning on house lights), but also control vehicle functions like windows, HVAC and navigation. 

bmw-x7-xdrive40i-2019-095815
3 of 32 Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Amazon Fire TV integration in cars

Amazon's in-car integration goes beyond Alexa. Both FCA and BMW announced that they will bring Fire TV into the car, letting passengers stream content online or watch offline video just as you would with a Fire TV at home.

2020 Karma Revero GTS
4 of 32 Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

BlackBerry and Amazon's smart-car platform

BlackBerry and Amazon are teaming up, combining BB's QNX operating system with Amazon's AWS to create a connected-vehicle platform that prioritizes security. With all this digitalization taking place in the car, it's important to ensure that the data these cars produce stays where it's supposed to.

BMW i Interaction Ease concept
5 of 32 BMW

BMW i Interaction Ease concept

BMW's i Interaction Ease concept isn't a whole car, but rather a study that looks at how luxury will be approached in an era of autonomous cars.

BMW i Interaction Ease concept
6 of 32 BMW

BMW i Interaction Ease concept

Two ultra plush seats meet in the middle of a wide open lounge, with electrochromic windows, welcome lighting and three separate modes that promote relaxation, productivity and entertainment, depending on your mood.

BMW ZeroG Lounger
7 of 32 BMW

BMW ZeroG Lounger

BMW's next CES concept is far closer to production.

BMW ZeroG Lounger
8 of 32 BMW

BMW ZeroG Lounger

The BMW ZeroG Lounger concept previews a new type of seat coming to the X7. The seatbelt mechanism reclines with the seat, and in the event of a crash, a cocoon-style airbag fully envelops the passenger in the name of safety.

Bosch Virtual Visor
9 of 32 Bosch

Bosch Virtual Visor

Of all the things to digitize in a car, the sun visors? Yep, Bosch has a concept doing exactly that.

Bosch Virtual Visor
10 of 32 Bosch

Bosch Virtual Visor

The Bosch Virtual Visor replaces the sun visor with a transparent panel. Cameras track your eyes and the position of the sun, selectively darkening specific panels on the visor to create just enough coverage to protect your peepers.

embargo-byton-viacom-access-cinema-mode
11 of 32 Byton

Byton media partnerships

The last time we saw Byton was at the Frankfurt Motor Show. While it brought the same car to Vegas that was in Germany, the startup came with a new announcement covering media partnerships for its massive dashboard screen. New partners include AccuWeather and ViacomCBS. (Editors' note: ViacomCBS is Roadshow's parent company.)

Continental Aac2ated Sound
12 of 32 Continental

Continental Sennheiser speakerless audio

I bet you never thought that your car's audio system didn't actually need speakers, but Continental and Sennheiser have given this notion some serious legs.

Continental Ac2ated Sound
13 of 32 Continental

Continental Sennheiser speakerless audio

Continental's Ac2ated Sound system eliminates speakers by essentially vibrating various interior components. The dashboard, A-pillars, door panels and more can all be turned into speakers by this technology. It's weird, wild stuff.

FCA Vision Airflow Concept
14 of 32 Andrew Krok/Roadshow

FCA Vision Airflow concept

Fiat-Chrysler's new concept previews the company's future interior and exterior design language.

Fisker Ocean at Electrify America charger
15 of 32 Fisker

Fisker Ocean electric SUV

After a long and drawn-out teaser campaign, the new vehicle from the mind of famed car designer Henrik Fisker is here.

Fisker Ocean California Mode
16 of 32 Fisker

Fisker Ocean electric SUV

The Fisker Ocean SUV is targeting an all-electric range between 250 and 300 miles. Its starting price is a palatable $37,499, with sub-$400 lease rates, placing it below the Tesla Model 3 on the EV price spectrum.

harman-evplus-promo
17 of 32 Harman

Harman EVPlus+ Solutions

Harman's EVPlus+ Solutions comprises a suite of new technologies for in-car audio. Efficiency gains are found through reducing the number of parts, and an online marketplace will allow people to upgrade their stereo wirelessly, in addition to piling on features like noise cancellation.

hyundai-uber-03.png
18 of 32 Hyundai, Uber

Hyundai Uber flying taxi

Hyundai is getting into the flying taxi scene through a new partnership with Uber Elevate. 

hyundai-uber-10-nologo
19 of 32 Hyundai, Uber

Hyundai Uber flying taxi

Hyundai will build the S-A1 flying taxi, which the automaker hopes will become part of a new kind of urban ecosystem that replaces traffic congestion with a series of microairport-type stations and a whole bunch of flying taxis. Best of all, there's a full-size mockup at the Hyundai booth!

Jeep 4xe plug-in hybrid SUVs
20 of 32 Daniel Golson/Roadshow

Jeep Wrangler 4xe

Jeep will soon offer a plug-in powertrain for the Wrangler, Compass and Renegade, and the company is showing these SUVs for the first time at CES.

Land Rover Defender 90 and 110
21 of 32 Land Rover

Land Rover dual-SIM technology

Having two SIM cards in an internet-connected car might not seem like that big of a deal, but it definitely is.

defender-promo
22 of 32 Land Rover

Land Rover dual-SIM technology

Land Rover announced at CES that its new Defender will carry this dual-SIM technology. It will permit data streaming to take place while the vehicle receives an over-the-air update, making your in-car experience as seamless as possible.

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR Concept
23 of 32 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR concept

Brace yourself, it's about to get weird up in here.

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR Concept
24 of 32 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR concept

This is the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR, a vehicle that takes inspiration from James Cameron's Avatar universe. The exterior is alien, but a little familiar, with some weird stuff going on with flaps just above the rear wheels.

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR Concept
25 of 32 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR concept

The interior is even wilder, with an oddly shaped dashboard screen that splits the front occupants. Put your hand on a specific part, and a menu will appear -- on your hand. Yeah, you probably won't find this on your next Merc.

200107-01-04
26 of 32 Nissan

Nissan Acoustic Meta-Material

Nissan's latest EV innovation comes to CES to quiet things down. The automaker's Acoustic Meta-Material uses two layers of lightweight plastic and a honeycomb-like lattice to reduce low-frequency vibrations in the car, helping eliminate road noise from the cabin.

qualcomm-snapdragon-ride-self-driving-8248
27 of 32 James Martin/CNET

Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride

Qualcomm is bringing a mobile-phone mainstay to cars with the Snapdragon Ride, a platform that will power the next generation of self-driving cars, or something much more present-day like current vehicle safety systems. It might not be as glamorous as a show car, but it's a very important piece of tech.

razer-eracing-simulator.png
28 of 32

Razer Eracing Simulator

Would you like a racing simulator that probably costs more than your car? The Razer Eracing Simulator is an all-in-one system with a hydraulic seat, a curved projection screen and a wheel and pedals. No price has been mentioned yet, but sheesh, it can't be cheap at this level of quality.

003-sony-ces-2020-car
29 of 32 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony Vision-S concept car

Sony? Building cars? Not exactly -- well, maybe, sort of. Allow me to explain.

001-sony-ces-2020-car
30 of 32 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony Vision-S concept car

The Sony Vision-S is a concept car, yes, but it doesn't preview a foray into automaking. Instead, it was a joint creation from Sony and Magna Steyr to provide a platform for development of future in-car Sony products. So while it looks nearly fully baked, you won't see one on the road any time soon -- or ever.

Toyota Woven City
31 of 32 Toyota

Toyota Woven City

This year at CES, Toyota didn't bring a concept car -- instead, it announced an entire concept city.

Toyota Woven City
32 of 32 Toyota

Toyota Woven City

Toyota's Woven City will rise from a 175-acre plot of land near Mount Fuji in Japan. It will serve as a testbed for future urban-mobility schemes, including automated vehicles, smart homes and robotics. Unlike many modern cities, accommodating a huge number of vehicles will not be a top priority here.

More Galleries

Go Inside the Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro: See How the New iPhones Look and Work
iphone 15 in different color from an angled view

Go Inside the Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro: See How the New iPhones Look and Work

21 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone

18 Photos
Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Reveal Our Stunning Universe
andromeda

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Reveal Our Stunning Universe

16 Photos
Check Out the iPhone 15's New Camera in Action
A photo of a silhouette of buildings on the water taken on the iPhone 15

Check Out the iPhone 15's New Camera in Action

12 Photos
I Got an Early Look at Intel's Glass Packaging Tech for Faster Chips
Rahul Manepalli, right, Intel's module engineering leader, shows a glass substrate panel before it's sliced into the small rectangles that will be bonded to the undersides of hundreds of test processors. The technology, shown here at Intel's CH8 facility in Chandler, Arizona, stands to improve performance and power consumption of advanced processors arriving later this decade. Glass substrates should permit physically larger processors comprised of several small "chiplets" for AI and data center work, but Intel expects they'll trickle down to PCs, too.

I Got an Early Look at Intel's Glass Packaging Tech for Faster Chips

20 Photos
Yamaha motorcycle and instrument designers trade jobs (pictures)
yamaha01.jpg

Yamaha motorcycle and instrument designers trade jobs (pictures)

16 Photos
CNET's 'Day of the Dead Devices' altar (pictures)
dia-de-los-muertos-3318-001.jpg

CNET's 'Day of the Dead Devices' altar (pictures)

9 Photos