The start of this month marked  the most important event of the year for cutting edge technology, the 57th annual Consumer Electronics Show. From January 7-10, thousands of exhibitors and over 140 thousand attendees from across the world flocked to Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest in all things high tech, from smart massage chairs to flying cars. Once again, the AMA team showed up in force, facilitating dozens of meetings and walking hundreds of miles across the bustling Las Vegas Strip, shuttling between the Convention Center, the Venetian, and many other meetings and exhibits.  With another successful event all set and done, there are a few key themes and takeaways that dominated the show and captured significant buzz, fascination, and praise. From Artificial Intelligence to vehicle personalization, CES innovators showed up in force this year, attacking new challenges facing technological advances head on. While there was an overwhelming amount of fascinating tech to see, a few things stood out. Let’s take a look.

Though OEM attendance and exhibits were down this year versus their peak, automotive again was still the star of the show. Familiar OEMs such as Hyundai and Honda as well as Chinese newcomers like Geely’s Zeekr and Great Wall Motors dedicated a great deal of time, money, and effort to show off the newest in EV technology. Excitingly, Honda unveiled two radically designed new EV concepts, dubbed the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon. These sleek electric cars were stunning and aerodynamic, seemingly drawing some design cues from Lamborghini, and fostered great excitement for the future of the Japanese manufacturer. Honda aims to take the electric vehicle experience to the next level, giving consumers exciting and affordable new options in a time when the EV market is facing growing challenges. These vehicles will lead Honda’s push into the increasingly competitive market, and reinforce the company’s reputation of producing driver’s cars. Performance figures are yet to be revealed, but it is safe to assume that the production versions of both cars will be fast. Hyundai’s exhibit focused more on in-vehicle advanced mobility technologies and moved away from vehicle announcements. Specifically, Hyundai’s MOBIS group unveiled several advancements such as a holographic windshield and adaptive immersive lighting. Overall, an impressive showing from the Korean conglomerate.

Zeekr and their Chinese parent company Geely revealed an interesting variety of new technologies and new vehicles. In an impressive exhibition in West Hall, Zeekr revealed three new EVs, the 009 Grand, 001 FR, and Mix. The 009 Grand, which has a similar appearance to the Rolls Royce Cullinan and Mercedes V-Class, boasts an ultra luxury experience including a flat touchscreen TV and full massage chairs for the rear passengers. Remarkably large, the 009 Grand sacrifices passenger capacity for a Bentley and Maybach rivaling luxury experience. Meant to be driven by a chauffeur, the 009 Grand would not be out of place at the Met Gala or an official state event. The Zeekr Mix brings practicality (and likely some affordability) to the lineup, catering more to the family. This vehicle is similar in size to other EV SUV competitors like the Tesla Model Y, likely intending to provide buyers with a comparatively less expensive option. Lastly, the 001 FR stole the show, with its sleek shooting brake styling, enormous carbon fiber wheels, and an aggressive two one red and black interior. The radical shooting brake design of the 001 FR puts it into direct competition with Porsche’s Taycan and other high performance EV brands like Rimac. Shockingly, the model claims to deliver 1300hp to all four wheels. China’s performance offerings have been met with some apprehension from traditional automotive enthusiast buyers, but Zeekr’s 1300 horsepower monster may be enough to convince even the more conservative connoisseurs to give it a try.

Great Wall Motors, another Chinese EV manufacturer, presented one new model in their show floor exhibit. Named the Blue Mountain, or Lanshan in Mandarin, GWM’s new electric SUV will enter into a very crowded segment of midsize SUVs. While luxurious, the Lanshan was more comparable to Zeekr’s Mix, seeming to aim for an upscale family-oriented vehicle. Interestingly, GWM unveiled a new AI driven technology they call Agent of Space & Language (ASL). ASL is Great Wall Motor’s effort to combine AI and edge computing for their EVs, facilitating an ultra-personalized experience through intelligent decision making and real time external information. GWM unveiled other tech such as their Hi4 intelligent four wheel drive hybrid system, which is capable of optimizing offroad performance using AWD and dual electric motors paired with a gas engine. GWM’s concerted efforts to widen brand appeal and offer impressive new features unique to the brand were noticeable at CES, making for an intriguing showing. The brand is certainly worth watching if/when Chinese OEMs make their debut in the North American market.

Sony once again contributed to the automotive space this year. Originally unveiling their concept dubbed Vision-S in 2020, Sony has significantly refined the sedan. Now named the AFEELA, Sony is working with Honda in a joint venture (Sony Honda Mobility) to launch the car in summer 2026. The AFEELA is chalk-full of AI capabilities and sensors meant to enhance driver and passenger safety, improve vehicle safety, and facilitate autonomous drive. Sony even added their own take on a Siri style AI assistant that they call Afira. Most fascinating however, is that the AFEELA’s  interior is made partially out of recycled materials including corn waste, sugarcane molasses, and polyester yarn. Aimed at bringing elegance, safety, and a driver focused experience to the EV market, Sony hopes to position the AFEELA  against upscale EV sedans from Mercedes and Lucid. After years of development and industry-wide speculation, Sony is poised to make its mark in the rapidly growing electric vehicle market.

This year’s CES was a continuation of many of the showfloor dominating elements of CES 2024, once again showing the best that the auto industry has to offer in terms of smart features, safety, electrification, and advanced technology. In spite of the absence of many of the more established OEMs, new automakers stepped up to take their place, capitalizing on an absence of competition for showfloor attention. The show was as productive and busy as ever, facilitating many meetings on every topic from VR gaming to biotechnology. With the close of yet another productive CES, the AMA team wishes everyone a happy, productive, and prosperous 2025, looking forward to another year of success in the auto industry and beyond.

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