Best car news from CES 2023: Electric pickups, flying cars and more
CES is so much more than just a fair for the latest TVs, telephones and crazy technology. It is also one of the largest and most popular auto shows in the United States. If you want to know where the travel industry is headed, there’s no better place to be than Las Vegas in January.
This year at CES 2023, hundreds of exhibitors from across the automotive sector have already unveiled some of their latest products and cutting-edge technologies. BMW announced the futuristic Vision Dee electric car, while Sony and Honda revealed their EV prototype Afeela, integrated with Epic Games̵[ads1]7; Unreal Engine technology to provide next-level entertainment, communication and safety features.
If you want to take a closer look at the new automotive technology that has been unveiled at CES 2023 so far, check it out below. For more, here is the wildest highlights we’ve seen this week and the craziest technology too.
Mercedes-Benz is one of the first car companies in the world to get immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound technology
Dolby Atmos is immersive surround sound technology that you really only find in movie theaters or in a few expensive consumer speakers, soundbars and headphones. Unlike your typical left and right sound experience, Dolby Almost gives you sounds from every imaginable direction, and the immersive sound experience comes to the Mercedes-Benz Maybach. Check out our experience with Dolby Atmos at CES 2023 in the video above.
BMW’s colour-changing concept car
BMW unveiled in Vision Dee, a futuristic mid-size electric sedan with digital assistant, color-changing technology and an augmented-reality windshield. The car’s exterior is equipped with 240 E Ink segments that can be controlled individually; you can go with a solid color if you want, but each separate panel is customizable, so you can go wild with patchwork designs. But the most exciting new feature has to be the fully digital mixed reality windshield. You will be able to decide how much “digital content” you see in front of you while driving, such as driving information, communications, AR projections and virtual worlds.
Sony and Honda’s electric sedans feature Unreal Engine-designed interfaces
Sony and Honda unveiled Afeela, an electric midsize sedan, at CES on Wednesday. The alliance between the two companies works like this: Honda provides automotive engineering and after-sales service, while Sony covers the technical side of things, including electronics, sensors and entertainment. The front of the EV has a built-in display that can be used to show off information to other drivers and pedestrians, while the entire body is equipped with dozens of cameras and sensors to detect objects and provide an autonomous driving experience. Inside, the interface of the car is powered by Qualcomm technology and Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to enhance the driving experience and provide a quality entertainment system.
Amazon Ring now wants to live in your car
Amazon’s Ring makes security cameras for your home and business, to provide security and let you keep an eye on package deliveries and other activities, and now it wants to do the same for your car. The ring car camera is a dashboard-mounted double-facing camera that can record both inside and outside your car, while you are driving or parking. While the camera stores footage locally, it can connect to the Wi-Fi network when you’re parked nearby to upload footage. You can also get LTE support to always be connected, so you can watch a live feed in case someone else has your car; you need to pay for a Ring Protect Go subscription for that. You can pre-order Ring Car Cam for $200 right nowor wait to buy it when it’s released in February for $250.
An electric pickup… that follows you around?
Ram unveiled the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, its first-ever all-electric pickup truck, at CES 2023. The electric truck features rear-swinging suicide doors, three rows of seats, an AR display, a personal AI assistant, and in-car interior “themes.” For example, you can activate party mode or relaxation mode – each of which changes seat positions and orientation, lighting, sound system and even the opacity of the sunroof. But the most interesting thing about the electric truck has to be the “shadow mode” feature, which allows the truck to follow the driver around, kind of like a dog, when they’re on foot.
Nvidia will bring its gaming platform to select cars
GeForce now, Nvidia’s popular cloud gaming service that lets you play games like Fortnite and Apex Legends on your phone, tablet and TV, is coming to your car soon. During the exhibition at CES 2023, Nvidia announced a partnership with Hyundai Motor Group, Polestar and BYD to integrate its gaming platform into more Internet-connected vehicles. A passenger in the car can load GeForce Now into a built-in display and play games like Rocket League with a connected gamepad.
Google released its new Android Auto update
On Thursday, Google announced the launch of its latest Android Auto software. The redesign prioritizes navigation, communication and music – for one, Maps is now closer to the driver’s seat, making it easier to see, and there’s also a new Quick Launcher that lets you access the apps you need most, faster. A new split-screen layout adapts to your screen size and orientation, and Google Assistant makes smart suggestions like arrival time sharing, message replies, and music or podcast reminders. If you have one of the latest Pixel or Samsung phones, you’ll soon be able to call WhatsApp via Android Auto.
Oh yes, a four seater flying car was announced
Flying cars haven’t quite taken off yet, but we seem to be one step closer. American company Aska announced what could be the world’s first four-seater flying car at CES this year. The Aska A5 is an electric vehicle, the size of a small SUV, that can travel on the road and up to 250 miles by plane on a single charge. It is also equipped with a small gas engine that can give you an extra 50 miles. And you can expect it to hit the roads (and skies) very soon. According to CEO Guy Kaplinsky, the Federal Aviation Administration may approve the A5 this month, and the company plans to launch a ride-sharing service with a fleet of its flying vehicles in 2026. The A5 comes with a hefty price tag of $789,000, and you can pay a $5 deposit 000 to get on the pre-order list right now.