It’s finally here! The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show took place this week, ending January 12, 2024, and wow, this year was wild. Artificial Intelligence, surreal concepts, and an urban aircraft are just some of the many highlights. Check out a breakdown of some of the crazy car tech that debuted during the show.

AI

“AI”, standing for artificial intelligence, is one thing that keeps getting smarter and better. What’s been in smart speakers and the internet for years now is finally catching up with cars in ways some of us would imagine and others no one might have thought. One of the most outstanding new features was the ability to talk to a virtual in-car assistant that drivers can actually have a conversation with. No longer do we need to learn specialized voice commands. Just say, “Hey, take me to the best sushi place in town,” and the car will navigate, if not autonomously drive, to the best sushi place according to reviews it finds on the internet.

Another tidbit of AI, autonomous car technology is forever on the rise. From self-driving cars to driving assist systems, Hyundai came out with an interesting e-corner AI independent steering system. Able to independently turn the tires in different directions, the car can turn the tires horizontally for easy parallel parking, spin around 360 degrees, and even drive diagonally.

Are These Your LEGOs?

Cars are becoming LEGOs, now. No, not LEGO build-a-car sets. We mean LEGO like taking apart and putting together constructs so easily a child could do it. Well, maybe not a child, but the new modular concept from Kia is out of this world. We talked about it in another article, but Kia is planning to introduce “platform-based vehicles” that can be switched around and transformed into nearly any type of vehicle a consumer needs. A taxi cab, a delivery van, a mobile office, or even a recreation vehicle – the possibilities are near limitless.

Going Digital

Making digital mobile living spaces has been on the minds of many automakers in recent years. We saw a lot of this during the 2024 CES, such as Honda’s 0 (zero) series, offering a look into future battery-electric vehicle (BEV) design that we’ve seen pop up in other concepts, such as a thin and light dashboard that can retract into the front of the car and open the cockpit for a more lounge-like feel. Mercedes-Benz announced a cloud-connected, AI-powered virtual assistant through their partnership with Google, a tech company shaking hands with a lot of automakers these days. Sony even introduced a car, its Afeela, a vehicle that consumers can drive with a simple Playstation 5 controller – also, a hint that the very first experience many consumers will have driving the new Afeela is digital via the upcoming new Gran Turismo video game.

Prepare for Take Off

This one isn’t just an automobile. The Hyundai Motor Group and its Supernal urban aircraft company introduced us to its second model for advanced air mobility. Also in partnership with Uber, Hyundai is working on an air taxi that can vertically take off and land, travel at 120 miles-per-hour at a 1,500-foot altitude, and cover most citywide landscapes (about 25 to 40 miles). It’s not much, but it’s a great start for an air taxi.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show was one for the record books with all the cool consumer and car tech we saw. If you want to stay in the know, follow along with us on NowCar social media for more cool car technology.

Photo Source/Copyright: Consumer Electronics Show