CES 2024: 5 car trends we’re expecting to see

CES has become a major event in the car world.
Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

CES, perhaps the premier conference for new tech, has become a major conference for news in the car industry. The 2024 version of the conference should prove to keep that trend. As TechCrunch noted “a big part of CES’s evolution over the past few years has been its positioning as a major automotive show,” since carmakers have leaned into tech features.

The massive Vegas event is scheduled to take place Jan. 9-12. The car news you can expect this year? Well, first and foremost things are going to get even more electric. Let’s get into it.

1. Electrified not automated The market has been rough on autonomous vehicles while EVs are growing ever more popular. Tech Radar predicted that CES 2024 will focus heavily on electric cars while eschewing automation, especially considering auto giant Ford announced last year that it would move away from fully autonomous tech. Both Ford and GM took huge losses on automated tech. EV sales, meanwhile, grew from some 3 million in 2020 to more than 10 million in 2023, Tech Radar noted. The market has spoken and CES 2024 will likely reflect that fact.

2. Tech you can actually use Car companies love announcing things that are way down the road. How often have you seen, for instance, a “concept” car that never becomes a reality? Last year at CES, for instance, BMW announced a color-changing concept car that hasn’t hit the streets.

That might not be the case in 2024, however. In that same article, Tech Radar’s Jeremy Kaplan predicted “There will be tons of real-world tech on display at CES 2024, actual stuff you can actually buy today for your next actual car.”

3. Honda has new EVs comingKeeping on theme, Honda reportedly plans to drop new EVs at CES. The Japanese car giant announced it’ll debut its new “global EV series models and several key technologies that illustrate the significant transformation Honda is currently undergoing.” Details are scarce but it’s safe to assume the announcement on Tuesday, Jan. 9 will be a big one.

4. Concept cars…yes, stillListen…you might get more tech you can actually use but carmakers still love to make concept vehicles. We’ve already gotten a peek at one. Hyundai already dropped a preview of its Mobion concept car, which allows all its wheels to turn independently and will debut at CES 2024.

5. Not too much AIWhile CES 2024 might have an AI focus overall, the car industry might be an exception to that rule. After all, you can’t risk unreliable tech — which AI is, thus far — in something as dangerous as a car. Don’t expect AI-powered vehicles just yet. “Experts predict companies will showcase automotive AI in lower-stakes applications such as vehicle personalization,” wrote Automotive News.

Tim Marcin is a culture reporter at Mashable, where he writes about food, fitness, weird stuff on the internet, and, well, just about anything else. You can find him posting endlessly about Buffalo wings on Twitter at @timmarcin.

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