Cars You Can Expect to See at CES 2016 in January
Jennifer van der Kleut
Cars have long been taking over the annual Consumer Electronics Show. While the show was once used as a way to show off the latest performance enhancements, it is now more about the latest connectivity, technology and driver assistance features, including autonomous drive.
As we near showtime in January, news outlets like AutoWeek, CNet and CleanTechnica are giving a preview of what auto companies will be unveiling or talking about during the show:
Ford Motor Co. (Official Show Vehicle): The Ford Mustang GT will be the Official Show Vehicle, and Ford Kia Soul EV be showing off its electronics and connectivity. They are also expected to be discussing autonomous vehicle research, such as the driverless Fusion Hybrids they are currently testing at Mcity in Michigan.
Chevrolet: Chevy is expected to unveil the full production-ready version of the electric Bolt at CES, after a preview version garnered a lot of attention at the Detroit Auto Show earlier in 2015.
General Motors: CEO Mary Barra will give a keynote speech entitled “Redefining Personal Mobility.” The company has declared GM will be the undisputed leader in autonomous cars.
Kia: Kia is expected to show off its autonomous Soul EV.
Hyundai: Hyundai is expected to show off its autonomous, fuel-cell-powered Tuscon.
Mercedes: Mercedes has been a little more mysterious about what it plans to show off, after making headlines showing off its F 015 concept car at last year’s show. Industry analysts speculate Mercedes could unveil its Concept Intelligence Aerodynamic Automobile, or at least a rendering of it, or perhaps its autonomous electric E200 and E300 vehicles.
Faraday Future: The somewhat illusive electric carmaker that analysts are comparing to Tesla has already promised to unveil its first car at the show, which it promises to have in production by 2017.
Toyota: Toyota is expected to debut a new map-generating system, which AutoWeek believes will be similar to Google Maps.
Volkswagen: VW is expected to debut a new electric car. Some rumors say it could be the long-awaited electric microbus.
Audi: Audi is expected to unveil its A8 with autonomous driving capabilities. Audi made headlines last year when its autonomous A7 “drove” itself from Palo Alto, Calif. to Vegas for the show.
AutoWeek says the total number of automotive companies exhibiting at CES is around 12, which is a record, and that a whopping 10 percent of exhibitor space is devoted to car companies.
AutoWeek also reports that CES will feature 10 Tier 1 suppliers, including Valeo, Visteon, Qualcomm, Autoliv, Bosch, Continental and, for the 20th year in a row, Delphi.