On-location at CES 2023: Tech innovations from Honda, BMW, and more revealed

Welcome to this episode of The Friday 5 with Steve Greenfield, Founder and CEO of Automotive Ventures, an auto technology advisory firm that helps entrepreneurs raise money and maximize the value of their companies.

CES 2023

Today, I am on location at the Consumer Electronics Show out here in Las Vegas at the convention center.

CES is the most influential tech event in the world — the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.

This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.

With more to see than ever, the show footprint is over 70% larger than CES 2022. 

But there is definitely more of a grounded feeling this year. The age of adventure is being replaced by the reality evidenced in the automotive displays, which used to be fantastical flight of fancies that promised a Jetson’s lifestyle was just around the corner.

But this year, CES is spotlighting transportation technologies that are here and now, like autonomous tractors and electric cars. After the high-profile collapse of Argo AI in October, the former self-driving unit of Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen AG, this year’s theme is much more focused on profitability, and not potential of an aspirational future. Car companies and startups are demonstrating technologies they expect will provide a return on investment in the near-term, not in some hazy tomorrow that may never come.

The importance of CES as an automotive conference has really built a head of steam. Increasingly, automakers take the opportunity to showcase new product introductions, and this year is no exception.

The best example of this is represented by the keynote addresses this year, which include:

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG; and Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis.

On the show floor this year, you’ll find a bunch of new product introductions and important concept cars from the automakers. 

Sony Honda Mobility

A joint venture between Honda and Sony unveiled a prototype of its planned electric vehicle that it’s calling Afeela. The company said the vehicle will move toward mass production, with the opening of preorders anticipated in the first half of 2025 and sales beginning that same year.

Ram 1500 EV

Stellantis’ Ram truck brand is unveiling the Ram 1500 Revolution battery-electric vehicle concept.

The truck is packed with technology and is sure to be a buzzworthy competitor to the F-150 Lightning. 

Ram plans to offer electrified vehicles in the majority of their key light-truck segments by 2025 and all truck and van segments no later than 2030.

BMW i Vision Dee

BMW’s new vision of a digital world on wheels, the BMW i Vision Dee midsize sedan concept, exhibits a number of technologies to blend virtual and physical experiences.

The Vision Dee offers a peek at the digitalization technologies that can make driving safer AND more entertaining.

BMW has introduced a technology called their “Digital Emotional Experience,” which is a head-up display that projects information across the vehicle’s windshield.

Current head-up displays project a small field of view. Expanding the field of view can create a more immersive experience for both driver and passengers. Using a “Mixed Reality Sider” on the dashboard, the driver can adjust the content displayed on the windshield, including driving-related information, infotainment, augmented reality, and virtual reality.

Volkswagen ID7

And finally, Volkswagen has rebranded what had been known as the ID Aero, the ID7, a roughly Passat-sized sedan that will go on sale next year in the U.S. The ID7 uses conductive and insulating paint layers to make different regions of the vehicle light up on demand.

In addition to the significant presence of the automakers out here, the constellation of other automotive-related vendors includes companies in the vehicle connectivity space, autonomous driving, and Electrification. With the introduction of features like adaptive cruise control, collision prevention, and lane guidance, technology is paving the way to safer roads for vehicles of the future.

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So that’s your weekly Friday 5, a quick wrap-up of the big deals in the automotive technology space over the past week.

If you’re an auto tech entrepreneur working on a solution that helps car dealerships, we want to hear from you. We are actively investing out of our new DealerFund.

If you’re a dealer who wants to invest in early-stage auto tech companies that benefit your business, let me know. We are still accepting new investors into the fund.

If you’re interested in joining our investment club to make direct investments into auto tech and mobility startups with small checks, let me know.

And don’t forget to check out my new book available on Amazon called “The Future of Automotive Retail.”

Thank you for tuning into CBT News for this week’s Friday 5, and we’ll see you next week!