On January 9, 2024 local time, the 2024 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) officially kicked off in Las Vegas, USA.
As one of the world's largest consumer electronics technology exhibitions, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizer of CES, previously estimated that there were more than 4,000 exhibitors this year, of which 1,114 were from China. It covers more than 20 consumer technology product categories, covering cutting-edge technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), automobiles, robotics, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Source: CES official website.
According to official data, it includes technology giants such as Google, Amazon, Sony, and Samsung, as well as nearly 100 automobile-related companies, such as Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai Motor, Vinfast, Bosch, Valeo, Magna, Aptiv, Continental, Visteon, Marelli, Faurecia, WeRide, Suteng Juchuang, etc. There are also chip companies such as Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Ambarella, Mobileye, and Black Sesame.
It can be seen that the focus of this CES will continue to be one of the focuses of this CES around automobile companies and their upstream and downstream industrial chains, and the form of performance is slightly different from previous sessions, gradually shifting from new cars and electric technology to including AI, robotics, and intelligence.
Automakers shift their focus
"AI" has become the main attraction of this year's CES.
This year's CES keynote speech focused on artificial intelligence and technology for good, so it has become a consensus to connect to AI technology. Tianfeng** report believes that compared with the previous two years of exhibitions, this conference has shifted from the hot topics of "automotive electrification and intelligence" and "generative AI" to "AI empowerment in the pan-technology field, especially consumer electronics, XR (extended reality), automobiles, panels and other industries".
This shows that driven by industry giants, technologies such as AI, autonomous driving, and XR are gradually maturing, the industrial foundation is gradually improving, and the positioning is evolving from emerging products to productivity, and the trend of AI empowering the whole industry will become clearer. The report states.
In the automotive field, AI technology is being applied at a deeper level. The Mercedes-Benz brand has unveiled a new MBUX virtual assistant, which uses generative AI technology and active intelligence technology to give situational suggestions, engage in conversations with users, and visualize voice interactions through 3D images presented by the Unity game engine.
The virtual assistant will be launched in the future on models such as the CLA-class concept car. It is understood that before this, on some luxury models in the US market, Mercedes-Benz has begun testing the integration of ChatGPT large models into the car voice assistant in mid-2023.
Source: BMW's official website.
The BMW brand exhibited the all-new BMW i Digital Emotional Experience (DEE), a digital emotional experience. In addition, BMW will also launch a new voice assistant based on large language models, new in-car game functions, and the application of VR, AR and other technologies in the cockpit.
BMW will also be showcasing the "next generation" valet parking solution with Valeo, where the driver can park in a designated area, and the vehicle will automatically search for a parking space and automatically drive in.
Honda Motor unveiled a new series of all-electric Honda 0 electric vehicles that will be launched in the global market in 2026, and exhibited the Saloon and Space-Hub concepts. At the same time, the new generation of Honda's BEVs will feature a new "H" logo.
Honda also collaborated with Sony to develop the Afeela electric car, which was used to control the car on the booth with a Sony PS5 gamepad. The interior of the car is equipped with a long integrated central control screen, integrating Sony's film and television, ** games and other entertainment functions.
Volkswagen showcased a model that integrates ChatGPT, an AI large language model, into the IDA voice assistant function, enabling users to access an AI database on Volkswagen cars equipped with IDA voice assistants and obtain massive amounts of information through voice interaction while driving.
According to the official introduction, this new feature is based on the technology partner Cerence's Cerence Chat Pro, which realizes a smart automotive-grade ChatGPT application.
Kia Motors unveiled three PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) concept models: the Pv1, Pv5, and Pv7. At this CES, Kia announced the launch of its global PBV business. The PBV lineup will focus on the commercial market, with a skateboard chassis, and is scheduled to be launched at a PBV plant in South Korea in 2025.
Hyundai Motor showcased hydrogen power and its industrial chain. Officially, the new hydrogen-powered vehicle Nexo will be launched in 2025.
Vinfast, a new Vietnamese car manufacturer, showcased its latest electric concept car, as well as the VF 3, VF8, VF 9 and the drgnfly, an electric bike.
In addition, Xpeng Huitian land-air integrated flying car was also unveiled at CES, and Wang Tan, co-founder and vice president of Xpeng Huitian, announced that another "land aircraft carrier" split flying car will be available for pre-order in the fourth quarter of 2024, and mass production and delivery are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Component software capabilities
At this CES, Bosch unveiled a new cross-domain computing platform for automobiles that can handle both infotainment and driver assistance functions, including automatic parking, lane detection, intelligent personalized navigation, and voice assistance.
At CES, Bosch also demonstrated its automated valet parking technology, which allows the car to automatically drive to a parking space equipped with a charging point, which can be operated on a mobile phone and the robot can automatically charge the car.
Hyundai Mobis, a parts manufacturer of the Hyundai Group, showcased the Mobion Concept, which features an e-corner system that enables a 90-degree steering angle on all four wheels for fixed-circle rotation. At the same time, Hyundai Mobis also brought a large number of automotive parts product displays, including automotive rollable displays and rotary displays, transparent displays with holographic optical element technology, and 22kW integrated charging control modules.
Source: CES official website.
LG Display showcased a wide range of large-format automotive display solutions, including automotive instrument clusters. Also introduced is a screen safety solution, Switchable Privacy Mode (SPM), which automatically adjusts the angle of view of the display to keep the driver's eyes focused on the road. In addition, LG Display will showcase a sliding, foldable OLED display that can be mounted to the back of the seat.
Visteon DECO Trim brings a control display that turns off when in hidden mode, and a wood or metal-like finish that blends in with the car's interior surface. When the sensor detects the hand, the display becomes a control panel that can be used to control functions such as power windows, air conditioning and audio control.
Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Digital Twin Demonstrator from Magneti Marelli, a Fiat company, accelerates design, testing, simulation and functional deployment in OTA by replicating the complete vehicle cockpit in the cloud. The connected virtualized cockpit is one of the first market-oriented "advantage" platform solutions from Magneti Marelli.
Valeo brought technologies such as the third-generation LiDAR Scala 3, the Predict4 Range software that improves driving range by implementing efficient thermal management strategies for electric vehicles, the intelligent immersion battery cooling system, the remote parking solution between Valeo and BMW, the thermal imaging camera between Valeo and Teledyne FLIR, and the Valeo Ineez wireless charging solution.
Continental unveiled the first display made of Swarovski crystals; BOE debuted a super-large oxide intelligent cockpit, as well as a variety of display technologies represented by smart vehicles.
Tech giants are focusing on AI
AI applications have become a key area for tech giants.
At this year's CES, the world's leading chip companies all showcased their latest achievements in generative AI, computing power, intelligent cockpit, intelligent driving and other fields.
Among them, Qualcomm brought a number of new technologies and products in the automotive field, including the Snapdragon Digital Chassis Platform, which empowers the next generation of generative AI, covering digital cockpit, connected car technology, connected services, advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving systems.
Source: Nvidia's official website.
Nvidia has unveiled three new chips for AI PCs and announced several collaborations with Chinese gaming companies and electric car companies. The company revealed that Li Auto has chosen Nvidia's Drive Thor centralized in-vehicle computing platform to power its next-generation models, while Great Wall Motor, Zeekr, and Xiaomi Auto have adopted the NVIDIA Drive Orin platform in their next-generation autonomous driving systems.
Nine Company also launched a new generation of Segway intelligent lawn mower robot Segway N**IMOW i series, as well as new travel categories E-Bike (electric bicycle) products Segway Xafari and Segway XYBER.
In terms of robotics, the autonomous robot platform Nova Carter AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) jointly launched by Nine Company and NVIDIA was unveiled at this exhibition, which is based on the Nova Orin reference architecture and has a highly customizable and flexible autonomous driving R&D platform.
Intel announced at CES 2024 that it will launch automotive chips based on AI PC technology and compete with Qualcomm and Nvidia, with the first chips to be launched by the end of this year. ZEEKR will be the first manufacturer to use Intel chips for artificial intelligence systems.
In addition, Intel also said that it is advancing its "AI Everywhere" strategy into the automotive market, and has acquired French startup Sillicon Mobility SAS, which designs system technology and software to control electric vehicle motors and on-board charging systems, and launched a series of AI-enhanced software-defined automotive system-on-chips (SDV SoCs).
AMD has unveiled the AMD Ryzen 8000G series processors for the AI PC era, emphasizing that they are powered by XDNA NPU acceleration. In the automotive space, AMD is expanding its portfolio with two new devices, the Versal Edge XA (Automotive-Grade) Adaptive SoC and the Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series processors.
Samsung Electronics showcased a range of AI home appliances, robots, laptops, and more. Officials also released an automotive industry development plan in partnership with Hyundai Motor Group to achieve more intelligent "home-to-car" and "vehicle-to-home" functions.
Minsheng ** believes that at CES 2024, the new technology display will mainly focus on autonomous driving, intelligent cockpit, intelligent travel, etc., and the development trend of smart cars as the next generation of intelligent mobile terminals is gradually clear.
The content is synthesized from China Automotive News, The Paper, Gasgoo Automobile, Cheyun.com, Blue Whale Finance, etc.