Proof, if it is necessary, how much CES has become an auto show has appeared at the opening keynote of 2023, organized by BMW and has its color change i Vision Dee Idea. Companions appearing on stage include Herbie, KITT, and yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Following the show, legacy giants including BMW as well as Audi and Volkswagen shared the show floor with automotive technology companies like Harman, second-tier suppliers like ZF and startups businesses that turn classic cars into electricity, such as Zero Labs. There’s even a collaboration that sounds like a Gran Turismo exclusive just a few years ago, in the form of Sony Honda Mobility and its new car brand, afeela.
With more auto news coming from CES this week than the dedicated 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show, it’s perhaps no surprise that the future of the traditional auto show is in question. This is an event where automakers and tech companies are drawing closer and closer together, providing a clearer picture of how they will work together and, most importantly, what they will need. how to survive.
Then here are WIRED’s automotive tech highlights from CES 2023.
Sony Honda Mobility Afeela
Three years after Sony surprised CES 2020 attendees with its first concept car, the company now has a manufacturing partner in Honda and a brand: Afeela. The first Afeela model will be available for pre-order in the US in the first half of 2025, Sony said, with the first cars arriving to customers in spring 2026.
Courtesy of Afeela
Sony says the vehicle on display boasts 45 sensors, along with a digital display on the front bumper, Lidar for autopilot, and 3D graphics created with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, creators of the game. fortress. The first Afeela car will apparently use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon “Digital Chassis”, a new automotive platform that integrates telecommunications, connectivity, driver assistance and autonomy. Other car brands will also use Qualcomm’s chassis.
BMW i Vision Dee
BMW used CES to show off a new car concept can change its exterior color in just a few seconds. The body is covered by panels that act like the screen of your Kindle e-reader. This prototype has up to 32 colors and can create graduated patterns to blend from one tone to another.
Inside, the i Vision Dee features what BMW hopes will be the future of windshield display (HUD) technology. Replacing the conventional dashboard display, an interface is projected across the entire windshield, with the driver able to choose from five levels of immersion, from simple, shallow vehicle and driver information strips, to the entire virtual world display.
