Despite the absence of many carmakers, CES was still used as a platform for significant announcements by some of the biggest legacy brands. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Sony Honda Mobility premiered intelligent personal assistants for enhanced human-vehicle interaction, supersized screens seamlessly merging the digital and physical world, and ‘democratised technology’ for automated driving.

Chinese brands were happy to spend money showcasing their vehicles at CES, despite high tariffs preventing them from targeting the US market. They were rewarded by long lines of curious Americans keen to see what they’re missing out on. A common thread was vehicle technology, with screens, automated doors, creative lighting signatures and convenience features prominent in nearly every Chinese model.

Robotaxis are continuing to interest carmakers. Lucid Motors, along with its partners, multinational transportation company Uber and American self-driving technology company Nuro, showed a production-intent version of the Gravity robotaxi. The car features a roof-mounted module with a sensor array, described as a ‘halo’, which also incorporates LED lighting displaying users’ initials to help identify their ride.

There was extensive discussion at CES about the role humanoid robots could play in future vehicle production, with several demonstrations of what tomorrow’s car factories might look like. South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group outlined its robotics and artificial intelligence strategy, including plans to introduce Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots at its Georgia manufacturing complex in 2028.

Automakers and their suppliers are rushing to build software‑defined vehicles (SDVs), and announcements at CES showed that many are now uniting around common chip platforms, signalling mounting pressure across the industry. “If you don’t make your cars SDVs by 2030, or at least 2034, then you won’t make it,” said Niklas Floren, the CEO of Volkswagen Group-owned tech specialist WirelessCar.